Cats and Dogs

There are fewer issues facing us as members of this society as polarizing as the raging debate between dog lovers, like myself, and wimpy, milquetoast cat fanciers. Don't get me wrong, I can see why a person would love the feline. After dealing with selfish, arrogant non-conformists everyday in the dog eat dog business world, it's would be completely refreshing to know that when I come home, I will be completely ignored, unless I have forgotten to feed my furry friend who needs me only when it wants something, like a relative who only contacts me when he needs money.

A dog owner knows that when they come home, they will be greeted with often overwhelming gratitude, like the dog is amazed that you found your way home. "How does he do that?" you can see his doggy eyes asking. If you, like most of us, need a little exercise, ever try walking a cat? How about taking the cat to the park for some fetch? It simply cannot be done. All they care about is laying around the house all day, getting some sun and generally doing nothing, kind of like a supermodel after you marry them.

You know those stories in the newspapers of pet owners who unfortunately pass away with pets in the house? When the authorities show up days later, the persons dog in often found still sitting by it's masters side, long after the food and water has been consumed, guarding it's owner. Cats on the other hand leave nothing left, requiring the forensic pathologist to identify the remains. Costing the police department valuable man-hours and costing taxpayers untold tens of thousands of hard earned dollars.

I have been to animal shelters a few times, looking for a companion for my children. We walk up and down rows of cages, looking for a twinkle in the eye or some sign of a personality. My son and I will talk to the dogs and ask the attendant all the pertinent questions about the animal. My daughter meanwhile has, disturbingly, wandered off to the cat shelter. Now when I'm at these places, I am almost overcome by a feeling of freeing all the dogs from their cages, kind of the way I imagine Moses felt, only on a much smaller scale. I have never felt this way when I am at the cat penitentiary.

Unlike the dogs, the cats could care less that I am there, holding the power of their freedom in my hands. If only their little pea brains could recognize this, then maybe I would feel a bit different. They have no sense of loyalty. It's as if they train you to tend to their needs without caring in the slightest about you. It's always me, me, me. Center of the universe type stuff. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to feed the cat..

Written by Craig Adams