What exactly makes someone a dog person?
October 4, 2023 6:10 AM Subscribe
The interesting, or maybe confronting thing about considering the dog person personality is that, truthfully, I still think of it as just being human. I accept that cat people exist, but not in the way I accept, say, that introverts exist: I find introversion fascinating and mysterious. Objectively, there’s something admirable and maybe profound in having something better to do than show off and chat all the time. Whereas cat people, I think are kidding themselves. They’ve met dogs, right?
“Dogs are partners in the crime of human evolution,” wrote the philosopher Donna Haraway in her book The Companion Species Manifesto, in which she argues for a relationship with dogs as a feminist act – but not, I think, that you have to be a feminist to be a dog person. “They are not here just to think with … They are here to live with … They are in the garden from the get-go, wily as Coyote.” A similar point is made from a zoological perspective by Jules Howard, when he writes in Wonderdog: “The more compassionate we have become in our explorations into the minds of dogs, the more intelligent they have shown us to be.” Dogs and humans are a co-evolution, which is as true in the long game – did we domesticate them 50,000 years ago in east Asia, or did they civilise us? – as it is in the short. You don’t bring your personality template clean to each dog you have for him or her to reflect back at you. It’s a relationship, dummy.Where cats are more popular than dogs in the U.S.—and all over the world. (gift article)
If you want to center your life around handling warm dog shit, there's really no substitute.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 6:33 AM on October 4, 2023 [49 favorites]
posted by paper chromatographologist at 6:33 AM on October 4, 2023 [49 favorites]
I'm a cat person. But I've recently come to the realization that I actually like small, fluffy dogs who go 'arf' and who are emotionally mature enough to not require your constant validation.
For some reason, I just don't like dogs that are big enough to knock me to the ground if unrestrained and who possess jaws that are large enough to clamp onto my arm or leg. I wonder why...
[on preview, exactly what sixohsix said]
posted by RonButNotStupid at 6:33 AM on October 4, 2023 [11 favorites]
For some reason, I just don't like dogs that are big enough to knock me to the ground if unrestrained and who possess jaws that are large enough to clamp onto my arm or leg. I wonder why...
[on preview, exactly what sixohsix said]
posted by RonButNotStupid at 6:33 AM on October 4, 2023 [11 favorites]
I do think some people hate the independence of cats, their alien emotional expressions, but I don't think "dog people" necessarily love subservience. In fact, a lot of us love little craphounds who will not do a damn thing you say unless they feel like it. Like me and my family -- chihuahuas, terriers, dachshunds, and so forth.
I always thought of myself as a dog person because I thought cats were mean. Turns out that was because we spent time living with my grandmother when I was little, and she rescued cats from Circumstances who would scratch the hell out of me if I touched them. So I thought that was what cats were like unless you raised them from a kitten, and sometimes even then. I was in my twenties before I really spent time with a sweet cat. I love them now.
The reason I'm still a dog person -- if that is even a thing -- is because dogs need us. Many cats can live by themselves, although they shouldn't, and they are often wily enough to save themselves in ways that dogs can't. But we bred dogs that need us, and I feel a pull to look after them.
posted by Countess Elena at 6:34 AM on October 4, 2023 [14 favorites]
I always thought of myself as a dog person because I thought cats were mean. Turns out that was because we spent time living with my grandmother when I was little, and she rescued cats from Circumstances who would scratch the hell out of me if I touched them. So I thought that was what cats were like unless you raised them from a kitten, and sometimes even then. I was in my twenties before I really spent time with a sweet cat. I love them now.
The reason I'm still a dog person -- if that is even a thing -- is because dogs need us. Many cats can live by themselves, although they shouldn't, and they are often wily enough to save themselves in ways that dogs can't. But we bred dogs that need us, and I feel a pull to look after them.
posted by Countess Elena at 6:34 AM on October 4, 2023 [14 favorites]
At a glance, the map of states where cats are more common than dogs also corresponds to states where you’re more likely to spend a lot of time inside due to the weather!
Dogs are wonderful, but they demand a lot of outside time for walks. Cats have the advantage of (on average) being more likely to snuggle indoors next to a fire without eventually getting anxious and barking their heads off.
When we lived in Seattle, cats were much more common. Now that we live in Colorado? So many more dogs.
posted by learning from frequent failure at 6:37 AM on October 4, 2023 [8 favorites]
Dogs are wonderful, but they demand a lot of outside time for walks. Cats have the advantage of (on average) being more likely to snuggle indoors next to a fire without eventually getting anxious and barking their heads off.
When we lived in Seattle, cats were much more common. Now that we live in Colorado? So many more dogs.
posted by learning from frequent failure at 6:37 AM on October 4, 2023 [8 favorites]
You know, I don't think I've read a piece yet by a cat person putting down dog people, but I see the reverse often. Why is that?
Dog people: why are some of you so insecure about it?
For the record, I am both a cat and a dog person.
posted by Stoof at 6:42 AM on October 4, 2023 [73 favorites]
Dog people: why are some of you so insecure about it?
For the record, I am both a cat and a dog person.
posted by Stoof at 6:42 AM on October 4, 2023 [73 favorites]
Some people are wired to distrust people or animals who 100% super-duper dig you the second they meet you....like, how do they know you well enough to make that judgement? Do they just love everyone? And if so, then doesn't that cheapen their saying they dig you? On the other hand, if they meet a person or animal who's a little stand-offish but then warms up to them, that feels like it's a more genuine profession of friendship.
I actually have a foot in both camps. I love how people's dogs seem to gravitate towards me on the street - countless times someone out walking their dog will frantically be trying to tell me "don't worry, they're friendly", but I've already gathered that from the frantically wagging tail and the big doggy grin as they're running over towards me. But I also love how stand-offish cats eventually warm up to me. (People who just seem to automatically love everyone I don't quite get, however.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:43 AM on October 4, 2023 [7 favorites]
I actually have a foot in both camps. I love how people's dogs seem to gravitate towards me on the street - countless times someone out walking their dog will frantically be trying to tell me "don't worry, they're friendly", but I've already gathered that from the frantically wagging tail and the big doggy grin as they're running over towards me. But I also love how stand-offish cats eventually warm up to me. (People who just seem to automatically love everyone I don't quite get, however.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:43 AM on October 4, 2023 [7 favorites]
Also, IME, landlords often charge lower pet fees for cats or allow them where they wouldn't allow dogs. They're easier to hide from landlords, too, because they don't bark or need outdoor time. (Well, some can make terrible noise about that, but you know what I mean.) That's a big consideration for people who might otherwise keep a dog. I think it's unfair, especially to older dogs who need homes and aren't likely to make a mess -- plus, catboxes in small apartments, whoof. So it's a big consideration, especially in cities. Boston landlords were pretty awful about this when I was last looking.
posted by Countess Elena at 6:45 AM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by Countess Elena at 6:45 AM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
Having a dog seems like far too much work. You're the center of their existence and have to do everything with/for them. No thanks.
Cats are preferable to me becuase they're independent. They need affection and attention, but not as much as dogs.
Also, I've apparently got some weird gene like the people who think cilantro tastes like soap do, because to me dogs smell horrible.
I don't mean dirty unwashed stinky dogs, I mean a dog right out of a bath. I used to think that dog people put up with the stench because they love dogs so much, but apparently nope, I'm just a weirdo and most people don't think dogs smell bad.
posted by sotonohito at 6:47 AM on October 4, 2023 [11 favorites]
Cats are preferable to me becuase they're independent. They need affection and attention, but not as much as dogs.
Also, I've apparently got some weird gene like the people who think cilantro tastes like soap do, because to me dogs smell horrible.
I don't mean dirty unwashed stinky dogs, I mean a dog right out of a bath. I used to think that dog people put up with the stench because they love dogs so much, but apparently nope, I'm just a weirdo and most people don't think dogs smell bad.
posted by sotonohito at 6:47 AM on October 4, 2023 [11 favorites]
people like dogs because dogs come to adopt the personality of their owner, at which point it's like having a small nonverbal version of themselves upon which they can administer the kind and magnitude of affection the owner believes they themselves deserve. dogs are a narcissist's pet
posted by logicpunk at 6:50 AM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by logicpunk at 6:50 AM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
the dog and I enjoy each other's clownish behaviour
the cat and I.. there is no cat and I, the cat enjoys the warmth of my lap. I am a hot rock for my cat.
edit to add: as per the commenter above, I'm clearly a narcissist
posted by elkevelvet at 6:51 AM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
the cat and I.. there is no cat and I, the cat enjoys the warmth of my lap. I am a hot rock for my cat.
edit to add: as per the commenter above, I'm clearly a narcissist
posted by elkevelvet at 6:51 AM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
So much ignorance, so many people deciding that their personal experience is normative. It's a day ending in 'y' I suppose.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 6:53 AM on October 4, 2023 [26 favorites]
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 6:53 AM on October 4, 2023 [26 favorites]
They're all prisoners, but dogs are more painful to observe in their imprisonment than a lot of cats. (Not all cats. Some cats feel their imprisonment in a way that is anguishing to observe.)
I like to watch dogs who live on their own terms out of doors, same way I would presumably like to watch wolves, coyotes, foxes etc.--from a safe distance, of course. I like that subset of feral dogs who have managed to revert in part to wolf/coyote ways and who roam and hunt and form packs and who are killing it, usually very briefly in the USA, since roaming dogs get corralled or roadkilled. But feral dogs who remain more dog than coyote and who scavenge and beg and starve are depressing.
Of owned dogs I prefer the ones who live with people who live outside and team up with their people and work together; they seem less like prisoners or slaves and more like active members of partnerships. I guess some working dogs seem more like well-treated employees who love their jobs than they do prisoners, and those are a treat to watch. Police dogs seem to be having an absolute blast, but they're taught to be fascists, so that sucks. Those lapdogs from back in the day who really didn't appear to mind spending their days riding around in $5,000 handbags are okay.
This is sortof the same way it's okay to watch a herd of sheep or cows when they're free to wander about minded by a shepherd, be that shepherd dog or human, and forage as they are naturally inclined but it's painful to watch a herd of sheep or cows in a CAFO.
Most dogs, in short, remind me of my own perilously divorced-from-nature lifestyle and are therefore depressing to think about.
posted by Don Pepino at 6:53 AM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
I like to watch dogs who live on their own terms out of doors, same way I would presumably like to watch wolves, coyotes, foxes etc.--from a safe distance, of course. I like that subset of feral dogs who have managed to revert in part to wolf/coyote ways and who roam and hunt and form packs and who are killing it, usually very briefly in the USA, since roaming dogs get corralled or roadkilled. But feral dogs who remain more dog than coyote and who scavenge and beg and starve are depressing.
Of owned dogs I prefer the ones who live with people who live outside and team up with their people and work together; they seem less like prisoners or slaves and more like active members of partnerships. I guess some working dogs seem more like well-treated employees who love their jobs than they do prisoners, and those are a treat to watch. Police dogs seem to be having an absolute blast, but they're taught to be fascists, so that sucks. Those lapdogs from back in the day who really didn't appear to mind spending their days riding around in $5,000 handbags are okay.
This is sortof the same way it's okay to watch a herd of sheep or cows when they're free to wander about minded by a shepherd, be that shepherd dog or human, and forage as they are naturally inclined but it's painful to watch a herd of sheep or cows in a CAFO.
Most dogs, in short, remind me of my own perilously divorced-from-nature lifestyle and are therefore depressing to think about.
posted by Don Pepino at 6:53 AM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
....it's like having a small nonverbal version of themselves upon which they can administer the kind and magnitude of affection the owner believes they themselves deserve.
Kind of also sounds like being parent to a helplessly small child. Maybe the cat/dog split at meFi is like the childfree/parent split? (I.e., intractable, entrenched.)
(ObDisc: I am a dog person and have four kids. Grew up in a mixed household of a dog and a cat, plus also fish and a lizard for a while, and a turtle for a few weeks.) (The turtle smelled.)
posted by wenestvedt at 6:54 AM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
Kind of also sounds like being parent to a helplessly small child. Maybe the cat/dog split at meFi is like the childfree/parent split? (I.e., intractable, entrenched.)
(ObDisc: I am a dog person and have four kids. Grew up in a mixed household of a dog and a cat, plus also fish and a lizard for a while, and a turtle for a few weeks.) (The turtle smelled.)
posted by wenestvedt at 6:54 AM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
small, fluffy dogs who go 'arf' and who are emotionally mature enough to not require your constant validation.
Do they just love everyone?
I have two dogs who are both pretty independent. I am a dog person, but I'm also very much a My Dog Person, and both of my dogs are well suited to my introvert needs.
I've had Truman since he was a puppy. He was raised with me just being how I am. He's really good about letting me know when he needs individual attention, and for the most part is perfectly happy to just hang out near me.
Kuiper, though, I got him as a senior. I told PAWS that I was a really good dog owner and had a quiet house with no children or men, so when they had a difficult small dog they couldn't place, I'd take him. Kuiper is mentally ill, and an asshole. Both at the same time. I can tell he's a cuddly lap dog deep down inside, but he has such hatred and contempt for all people and especially me; he only asks for attention sparingly. This is fine.
So what I am is a dog person, with two aging dogs who don't want a whole lot of attention from me, who are instead just a good excuse for me to get out of the house regularly for walks, and who provide excellent and very low cost constant entertainment for me. (And I also get to pick up warm poop whenever I want! Neat!)
I don't know what I'd do if I had a high energy velcro dog. Probably go nuts. So I'll keep doing what I did with Kuiper, and just keep picking up the grouchy old jerks as long as people keep dumping them off at shelters.
posted by phunniemee at 6:57 AM on October 4, 2023 [23 favorites]
Do they just love everyone?
I have two dogs who are both pretty independent. I am a dog person, but I'm also very much a My Dog Person, and both of my dogs are well suited to my introvert needs.
I've had Truman since he was a puppy. He was raised with me just being how I am. He's really good about letting me know when he needs individual attention, and for the most part is perfectly happy to just hang out near me.
Kuiper, though, I got him as a senior. I told PAWS that I was a really good dog owner and had a quiet house with no children or men, so when they had a difficult small dog they couldn't place, I'd take him. Kuiper is mentally ill, and an asshole. Both at the same time. I can tell he's a cuddly lap dog deep down inside, but he has such hatred and contempt for all people and especially me; he only asks for attention sparingly. This is fine.
So what I am is a dog person, with two aging dogs who don't want a whole lot of attention from me, who are instead just a good excuse for me to get out of the house regularly for walks, and who provide excellent and very low cost constant entertainment for me. (And I also get to pick up warm poop whenever I want! Neat!)
I don't know what I'd do if I had a high energy velcro dog. Probably go nuts. So I'll keep doing what I did with Kuiper, and just keep picking up the grouchy old jerks as long as people keep dumping them off at shelters.
posted by phunniemee at 6:57 AM on October 4, 2023 [23 favorites]
A dog is not a personality. It's a lifestyle decision. I have met some real assholes who are super kind to their dogs.
there is an entire film franchise built around the idea that you can be a vicious murderer for pay but it's okay if you like dogs. they are fun movies. it is not okay to be terrible and liking dogs does not make you an okay person.
posted by phooky at 6:58 AM on October 4, 2023 [11 favorites]
there is an entire film franchise built around the idea that you can be a vicious murderer for pay but it's okay if you like dogs. they are fun movies. it is not okay to be terrible and liking dogs does not make you an okay person.
posted by phooky at 6:58 AM on October 4, 2023 [11 favorites]
If you want to center your life around handling warm dog shit, there's really no substitute.
I always thought that if I wrote a book about my life with dogs I would have to call it
"A Pocket Full of Turds"
posted by freakazoid at 7:11 AM on October 4, 2023 [4 favorites]
I always thought that if I wrote a book about my life with dogs I would have to call it
"A Pocket Full of Turds"
posted by freakazoid at 7:11 AM on October 4, 2023 [4 favorites]
I always felt like you Own dogs, but you co-habitate with Cats?
Also can dogs be trained to use litter trays?
The retirement of needing to walk a dog regularly seems.. tiresome.?
posted by Faintdreams at 7:12 AM on October 4, 2023
Also can dogs be trained to use litter trays?
The retirement of needing to walk a dog regularly seems.. tiresome.?
posted by Faintdreams at 7:12 AM on October 4, 2023
I'm more of a cat person (although my wife and I currently have no pets at all), partly I think because my parents only had cats when I was a kid and partly because I don't want to put in the work of taking care of a dog (much less a child). I find the comparative chill of the vibe of cats relaxing, although my cousin had one of those Demon Cats which give all cats a bad name and I can see why that would put anyone off feline ownership.
That said, I'm certainly not anti-dog and if my wife (who did grow up with them) ever decides she wants to get one I would be fine with it (the main sticking point over the years has been what to do with a pet dog when we travel, which is something she loves doing). My aging parents also have a lovely doggie who has been a boon to their mental health, and I look forward to seeing all three of them this coming weekend.
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:12 AM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
That said, I'm certainly not anti-dog and if my wife (who did grow up with them) ever decides she wants to get one I would be fine with it (the main sticking point over the years has been what to do with a pet dog when we travel, which is something she loves doing). My aging parents also have a lovely doggie who has been a boon to their mental health, and I look forward to seeing all three of them this coming weekend.
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:12 AM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
I like cats because kitty.
Dogs are all right.
posted by kyrademon at 7:15 AM on October 4, 2023 [8 favorites]
Dogs are all right.
posted by kyrademon at 7:15 AM on October 4, 2023 [8 favorites]
Depends. I've had a wonderful cat who was very affectionate and wonderful Labrador who I think only saw me as a ball/food delivery device….and vice versa.
I like to think that at some moment, when packs of dogs and hunter apes were competing in the same ecological niche, they looked past some prey animal in a clearing to see each other as a possible ally…..and if there's any end goal to Ai, it might be that there'll be robots around to walk and feed the dogs after we're gone.
posted by brachiopod at 7:16 AM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
I like to think that at some moment, when packs of dogs and hunter apes were competing in the same ecological niche, they looked past some prey animal in a clearing to see each other as a possible ally…..and if there's any end goal to Ai, it might be that there'll be robots around to walk and feed the dogs after we're gone.
posted by brachiopod at 7:16 AM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
Also can dogs be trained to use litter trays?
Sure can. Truman used a litter box for the first 8 years of his life, when we lived in an apartment. Absolute savior for the olden days when I had to work out of an office and be away from the house every day or when the weather was terrible. Now I have a yard and he can poop on his own recognizance. But yup, you can teach a dog to use a box.
They still need regular exercise and the mental stimulation of sniffing outside, of course.
posted by phunniemee at 7:19 AM on October 4, 2023 [6 favorites]
Sure can. Truman used a litter box for the first 8 years of his life, when we lived in an apartment. Absolute savior for the olden days when I had to work out of an office and be away from the house every day or when the weather was terrible. Now I have a yard and he can poop on his own recognizance. But yup, you can teach a dog to use a box.
They still need regular exercise and the mental stimulation of sniffing outside, of course.
posted by phunniemee at 7:19 AM on October 4, 2023 [6 favorites]
I'm neither a cat person nor a dog person; I'm an 'argue about cats and dogs' person. Like being a cat person or dog person is a whole personality, it's its-own complete personality. Totally.
posted by k3ninho at 7:19 AM on October 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by k3ninho at 7:19 AM on October 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
You know, I don't think I've read a piece yet by a cat person putting down dog people, but I see the reverse often. Why is that?
I don't know but I always get the same vibe from the "Why would you be a cat person when you could have a dog?" articles as the ones by men about "Women: So inexplicable, amirite? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯"
I suppose I am a "cat person" in that the pets in my house are cats, but I like dogs just fine. I am my brother's dog's favorite non-resident person and am friends with a lot of dogs. I'm only bothered by the few breeds of dogs that are slobbery, and even that's not a strong dislike as long as I am not being actively drooled on. (I'm also a little creeped out by hairless cats.)
I was, not exactly mauled, but badly bitten by a dog as a child and that didn't poison me against liking dogs. (The dog was nervous of people and I was naive enough to approach anyway. The poor dog panicked. Getting angry about that is like getting angry at a cat that's started and uses claws to launch off your lap. ) It didn't make me a cat person by putting me off dogs. I just also like cats and they're a better fit for my living situation. I really don't get why this needs to be a binary.
posted by Karmakaze at 7:26 AM on October 4, 2023 [6 favorites]
I don't know but I always get the same vibe from the "Why would you be a cat person when you could have a dog?" articles as the ones by men about "Women: So inexplicable, amirite? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯"
I suppose I am a "cat person" in that the pets in my house are cats, but I like dogs just fine. I am my brother's dog's favorite non-resident person and am friends with a lot of dogs. I'm only bothered by the few breeds of dogs that are slobbery, and even that's not a strong dislike as long as I am not being actively drooled on. (I'm also a little creeped out by hairless cats.)
I was, not exactly mauled, but badly bitten by a dog as a child and that didn't poison me against liking dogs. (The dog was nervous of people and I was naive enough to approach anyway. The poor dog panicked. Getting angry about that is like getting angry at a cat that's started and uses claws to launch off your lap. ) It didn't make me a cat person by putting me off dogs. I just also like cats and they're a better fit for my living situation. I really don't get why this needs to be a binary.
posted by Karmakaze at 7:26 AM on October 4, 2023 [6 favorites]
I don't really know why I don't like dogs as much as cats. I can think of things about dogs that I don't like (need walks regardless, smellier, droolier, louder) but when I think of dogs I know and like, I just....tend not to like them as much as I like cats I know? I tend to like animals and I tend to like dogs unless they are extremely jumpy and smelly, and I've known several dogs I really liked very much indeed, but with the exception of, like, my two favorite dogs ever, I like almost every cat I've ever met more than almost every dog. Even the smelly and hostile cats.
posted by Frowner at 7:28 AM on October 4, 2023 [8 favorites]
posted by Frowner at 7:28 AM on October 4, 2023 [8 favorites]
I am a rabbit person. They combine all of the aloofness of cats with the destructive energy of anxious dogs, and it's impossible to stop them from pooping wherever they like. They are such assholes. I love them.
Cats and dogs are great too, sure.
posted by joannemerriam at 7:32 AM on October 4, 2023 [50 favorites]
Cats and dogs are great too, sure.
posted by joannemerriam at 7:32 AM on October 4, 2023 [50 favorites]
I am fond of both cats and dogs, both individually and in the abstract, but I have experimentally determined that I am a cat person, because:
1) I hate going for walks.
2) cats smell really good and dogs do not.
3) cats are softer and more huggable, dogs want to cuddle but are basically like cuddling a sack full of hammers.
4) cats do not want to eat poop.
5) cats do not require my supervision for their excretory needs.
In my experience cats can be just as interested in being with you all the time and getting involved with everything you do as dogs can, and are every bit as emotionally expressive, they just don't like to go places with you. I also do not like to go places, so that is fine ;)
posted by Rhedyn at 7:34 AM on October 4, 2023 [36 favorites]
1) I hate going for walks.
2) cats smell really good and dogs do not.
3) cats are softer and more huggable, dogs want to cuddle but are basically like cuddling a sack full of hammers.
4) cats do not want to eat poop.
5) cats do not require my supervision for their excretory needs.
In my experience cats can be just as interested in being with you all the time and getting involved with everything you do as dogs can, and are every bit as emotionally expressive, they just don't like to go places with you. I also do not like to go places, so that is fine ;)
posted by Rhedyn at 7:34 AM on October 4, 2023 [36 favorites]
> I’m wrestling against the conclusion, here, that dog people are just better.
We Paid A Freelancer To Say A Thing You Like Is Dogshit Because The Google/Facebook Duopoly Ate The Whole Digital Ad Market And Now Harvesting Hate Clicks Is The Only Viable Business Model For Online Media
posted by AlSweigart at 7:35 AM on October 4, 2023 [55 favorites]
We Paid A Freelancer To Say A Thing You Like Is Dogshit Because The Google/Facebook Duopoly Ate The Whole Digital Ad Market And Now Harvesting Hate Clicks Is The Only Viable Business Model For Online Media
posted by AlSweigart at 7:35 AM on October 4, 2023 [55 favorites]
Oh yeah, Colorado is Dog Central and every day is a parade of dogs being walked past my place.
Which provides a lot of entertainment for my cat.
I don't think I've ever had a standoffish cat. All of mine have insisted on being not too far from me at all times, interrupted any and all conversations to demand Attention Now, and yowled piteously if forced to be behind a closed door.
Not that different from dogs, really. Which I've also had, and loved. And maybe will again someday.
I don't get the idea that one has to choose...? It all depends on the kind of space and attention resources you have.
posted by emjaybee at 7:37 AM on October 4, 2023 [4 favorites]
Which provides a lot of entertainment for my cat.
I don't think I've ever had a standoffish cat. All of mine have insisted on being not too far from me at all times, interrupted any and all conversations to demand Attention Now, and yowled piteously if forced to be behind a closed door.
Not that different from dogs, really. Which I've also had, and loved. And maybe will again someday.
I don't get the idea that one has to choose...? It all depends on the kind of space and attention resources you have.
posted by emjaybee at 7:37 AM on October 4, 2023 [4 favorites]
We Paid A Freelancer To Say A Thing You Like Is Dogshit Because The Google/Facebook Duopoly Ate The Whole Digital Ad Market And Now Harvesting Hate Clicks Is The Only Viable Business Model For Online Media
For "Freelancer" read "LLM." For "Paid" read "Did Not Pay." Welcome to the future.
posted by The Bellman at 7:38 AM on October 4, 2023 [14 favorites]
For "Freelancer" read "LLM." For "Paid" read "Did Not Pay." Welcome to the future.
posted by The Bellman at 7:38 AM on October 4, 2023 [14 favorites]
> If you want to center your life around handling warm dog shit, there's really no substitute.
I was gonna say that constantly emptying litter boxes is no day at the beach either, but in a way it kind of is. A horrible beach with no water.
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:45 AM on October 4, 2023 [46 favorites]
I was gonna say that constantly emptying litter boxes is no day at the beach either, but in a way it kind of is. A horrible beach with no water.
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:45 AM on October 4, 2023 [46 favorites]
I have and love both cats and dogs, and I'm nonbinary, and every "cat people vs. dog people" discussion maps so neatly onto "women vs. men" that I find the whole discourse suspect. Dogs and cats all have different and unique personalities, and the broad strokes all fail at the individual level. Lots of dogs just want to be your fuzzy roommate/coworker, plenty of cats need tons of attention and interaction. I train my dog because it's a way to communicate and play with her, not because I want her to bend to my narcissist whims.
I will note that a thread full of claims that cats are "better" because they're independent and require "less care" is hitting real different when I'm a week into tube-feeding a cat that was very good at hiding how sick she was. Keeping tabs on your cat's subtle tip-offs is as much a form of care work as walking the dog every day, it's just less visible.
posted by fifthpocket at 7:47 AM on October 4, 2023 [27 favorites]
I will note that a thread full of claims that cats are "better" because they're independent and require "less care" is hitting real different when I'm a week into tube-feeding a cat that was very good at hiding how sick she was. Keeping tabs on your cat's subtle tip-offs is as much a form of care work as walking the dog every day, it's just less visible.
posted by fifthpocket at 7:47 AM on October 4, 2023 [27 favorites]
Cats are perfect. You can’t just casually try to be a cat. You have to commit. Cats have committed to being cats. Everything else is just sort of dabbling, and it doesn’t work.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 7:49 AM on October 4, 2023 [9 favorites]
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 7:49 AM on October 4, 2023 [9 favorites]
I saw a couple walking a majestic and enormous St. Bernard the other day. For a moment I marveled at this dog and imagined having one myself. And then I smelled the dog. I was thirty feet away, but apparently downwind. And realized that with such a large animal, everything in this couple’s life must smell like this dog. Their house, their car, even when they go outside they can’t escape it. *shudder*
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 7:54 AM on October 4, 2023 [10 favorites]
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 7:54 AM on October 4, 2023 [10 favorites]
I really like dogs and enjoy playing with my friends' dogs but pretty much every dog owner I've seen believes the rules don't apply to them and their dogs. Be that leashing, cleaning up after them and properly disposing of their waste, destruction of other people's plants, or trespassing in places they aren't allowed like school grounds. So I guess that makes me pro-dog but anti-dog-person.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 7:54 AM on October 4, 2023 [13 favorites]
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 7:54 AM on October 4, 2023 [13 favorites]
Cats are made of poison. They poison everything around them, and if you let them out, they murder all the birds. Dogs, on the other hand, are pretty great.
You know, I don't think I've read a piece yet by a cat person putting down dog people, but I see the reverse often. Why is that?
There's a lot of dog slander in this thread, starting with the first few comments, and then continuing through to the end.
posted by surlyben at 7:58 AM on October 4, 2023 [16 favorites]
You know, I don't think I've read a piece yet by a cat person putting down dog people, but I see the reverse often. Why is that?
There's a lot of dog slander in this thread, starting with the first few comments, and then continuing through to the end.
posted by surlyben at 7:58 AM on October 4, 2023 [16 favorites]
I often remark to my mother (who became a cat person late in life and refuses to go back) that people who don't have cats seem to think they are all aloof and independent and jerks. As a long time cat owner, this is not the case. Some are, sure, but most are codependent as dogs are. They are weird weird creatures and I love them for that. But I wouldn't say my pet choices are superior to anyone else's. This definitely is a Dog Person trait.
(For the record, I grew up in a dog-only household my entire life. They were good dogs! But I was not as invested in them as the rest of my family.)
posted by Kitteh at 8:01 AM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
(For the record, I grew up in a dog-only household my entire life. They were good dogs! But I was not as invested in them as the rest of my family.)
posted by Kitteh at 8:01 AM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
Keeping tabs on your cat's subtle tip-offs is as much a form of care work as walking the dog every day, it's just less visible.
Yeah. We had to let one senior cat go early this year and we just figured out the other has arthritis. Both animals hid their discomfort really well. Arthritis kitty is getting a shot that has made her way more active again and we feel bad for not noticing sooner.
One of my dogs has a meltdown and yells like she's dying when a leaf gets stuck to her fuzzy butt. It's almost reassuring to know she'll communicate her discomfort rather than suffer in martyred silence, but it is embarrassing when we're in public.
posted by ghost phoneme at 8:06 AM on October 4, 2023 [10 favorites]
Yeah. We had to let one senior cat go early this year and we just figured out the other has arthritis. Both animals hid their discomfort really well. Arthritis kitty is getting a shot that has made her way more active again and we feel bad for not noticing sooner.
One of my dogs has a meltdown and yells like she's dying when a leaf gets stuck to her fuzzy butt. It's almost reassuring to know she'll communicate her discomfort rather than suffer in martyred silence, but it is embarrassing when we're in public.
posted by ghost phoneme at 8:06 AM on October 4, 2023 [10 favorites]
Dogs are great, but dog people (in Portland) can be awful. Recently a local school had to lock its playground because people in the neighborhood wouldn’t pick up after their dogs and the kids kept stepping/falling in dog shit. My local farmers market, a crowded, high stress environment, is packed with dogs. I often see scuffles break out there between big, stressed-out dogs. Why are they there?! And so many people insist on bringing their big, nervous dog with them everywhere: the bus, the bar, the grocery store. Sitting on the bus next to a German Shepherd on the verge of an anxiety attack adds a real sense of risk to the ride. And of course no one bothers with a leash.
So put me in the “cat people are better” camp, I guess.
posted by Just the one swan, actually at 8:08 AM on October 4, 2023 [17 favorites]
So put me in the “cat people are better” camp, I guess.
posted by Just the one swan, actually at 8:08 AM on October 4, 2023 [17 favorites]
There's a lot of dog slander in this thread, starting with the first few comments, and then continuing through to the end.
Yeah, but that's a rebound from the article. How often do you see an article in the vein of "Why do people have dogs? I mean, have they ever met a cat?" or "Dog People, What Is Even Wrong With Them, Anyway?"
posted by Karmakaze at 8:09 AM on October 4, 2023 [12 favorites]
Yeah, but that's a rebound from the article. How often do you see an article in the vein of "Why do people have dogs? I mean, have they ever met a cat?" or "Dog People, What Is Even Wrong With Them, Anyway?"
posted by Karmakaze at 8:09 AM on October 4, 2023 [12 favorites]
Enormous dogs have been an expression of conspicuous consumption around here for a while now. It started off as a way to broadcast that you could afford a house with a yard big enough for it to run around in, but then big dogs became aspirational and now even apartment dwellers have started getting them in the hope of one day being able to afford a house with a yard big enough for it. Until that day, these owners obnoxiously turn every park into an off-leash dog park.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 8:14 AM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by RonButNotStupid at 8:14 AM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
dog people around here means the myriad of assholes who think it's okay to have giant dogs off leash where they can charge and knock over anyone who's outside minding their own business with the excuse "oh they're friendly, they just want to play!" as I get torn the fuck up by a 80lb plus dog jumping onto me, ripping my clothes and skin. Cats, even the outdoor ones (which I am entirely against), aren't a material threat to my health and safety.
posted by Ferreous at 8:15 AM on October 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Ferreous at 8:15 AM on October 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
I have a pet theory (haha) about this. Modern dogs are the end product of a long running optimization algorithm with the success metric being "get food".
So dog people are the ones the optimizations work on, and not-dog people are for some reason immune.
This leads me to believe that dog people's ancestors were the ones that controlled all the food.
posted by keep_evolving at 8:21 AM on October 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
So dog people are the ones the optimizations work on, and not-dog people are for some reason immune.
This leads me to believe that dog people's ancestors were the ones that controlled all the food.
posted by keep_evolving at 8:21 AM on October 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
A lot of people mistakenly think they are dog people because they think that cats aren't friendly or affectionate. If you ask a lot of people what they'd want in a pet it's basically a cat, they just don't realize it.
posted by star gentle uterus at 8:27 AM on October 4, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by star gentle uterus at 8:27 AM on October 4, 2023 [6 favorites]
great, enshittification encompasses every topic
good times
posted by elkevelvet at 8:29 AM on October 4, 2023 [4 favorites]
good times
posted by elkevelvet at 8:29 AM on October 4, 2023 [4 favorites]
I've had dogs and cats. One notorious cat. I prefer the dogs.
posted by cmyk at 8:31 AM on October 4, 2023
posted by cmyk at 8:31 AM on October 4, 2023
I can think of things about dogs that I don't like (need walks regardless, smellier, droolier, louder) but when I think of dogs I know and like, I just....tend not to like them as much as I like cats I know? I tend to like animals and I tend to like dogs unless they are extremely jumpy and smelly, and I've known several dogs I really liked very much indeed, but with the exception of, like, my two favorite dogs ever, I like almost every cat I've ever met more than almost every dog. Even the smelly and hostile cats.
Hard agree. I don't dislike well-behaved dogs, but I just find them....kinda boring? I always enjoy seeing a dog bounding with joy outside, but of the dogs I've known, they just kinda seem to have a few basic modes they cycle through (excited greeting, asking for belly rubs, hungry, needing to run around, etc.), whereas the cats I've known have more endless weirdness and varied personalities.
And yeah, while I know some dogs are fluffy, I find many dogs unpleasant to pet - not that soft, with oily and stinky fur. It's hard for me to imagine having a pet that I don't like to pet!
posted by coffeecat at 8:38 AM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
Hard agree. I don't dislike well-behaved dogs, but I just find them....kinda boring? I always enjoy seeing a dog bounding with joy outside, but of the dogs I've known, they just kinda seem to have a few basic modes they cycle through (excited greeting, asking for belly rubs, hungry, needing to run around, etc.), whereas the cats I've known have more endless weirdness and varied personalities.
And yeah, while I know some dogs are fluffy, I find many dogs unpleasant to pet - not that soft, with oily and stinky fur. It's hard for me to imagine having a pet that I don't like to pet!
posted by coffeecat at 8:38 AM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
I don't think a lot of people here talking about dogs have had much experience of dogs?
Dogs are very different from one another. They can aloof, stubborn, grumpy, charismatic, independent, difficult to please, as well as goofy, cuddly, playful, affectionate.
Dogs can be very private with their own opinions and you won't notice what those are unless you watch them very carefully.
posted by Zumbador at 8:43 AM on October 4, 2023 [24 favorites]
Dogs are very different from one another. They can aloof, stubborn, grumpy, charismatic, independent, difficult to please, as well as goofy, cuddly, playful, affectionate.
Dogs can be very private with their own opinions and you won't notice what those are unless you watch them very carefully.
posted by Zumbador at 8:43 AM on October 4, 2023 [24 favorites]
ok ok I have not read the article, nor any of the comments (yet!) but I have to lay down a fundamental truth here:
I am a cat person. does that mean I don't like dogs? have you met a dog?? loving dogs is easy, its like loving pizza.
I feel like all of the cat people I know also love dogs. its the dog people who do not all accept kitty loving into their lives.
I get it! loving cats is a higher calling that not all receive, but it is possible to love them all, the cute furry little critters in our lives, our neighborhoods, our friends houses.
posted by supermedusa at 8:45 AM on October 4, 2023 [12 favorites]
I am a cat person. does that mean I don't like dogs? have you met a dog?? loving dogs is easy, its like loving pizza.
I feel like all of the cat people I know also love dogs. its the dog people who do not all accept kitty loving into their lives.
I get it! loving cats is a higher calling that not all receive, but it is possible to love them all, the cute furry little critters in our lives, our neighborhoods, our friends houses.
posted by supermedusa at 8:45 AM on October 4, 2023 [12 favorites]
I feel like all of the cat people I know also love dogs. its the dog people who do not all accept kitty loving into their lives.
QFT.
Like, I may not have a dog but I can hang with dogs. Dog people rarely return the favour.
posted by Kitteh at 8:48 AM on October 4, 2023 [6 favorites]
QFT.
Like, I may not have a dog but I can hang with dogs. Dog people rarely return the favour.
posted by Kitteh at 8:48 AM on October 4, 2023 [6 favorites]
When I think about dogs I've really liked, they've had more in common with cats than many dogs do, although they were both big dogs. They were both quiet, had neat mouths and flatter, shorter fur, didn't jump around too much and were pretty smart. One had been feral for a long time and had some hard times, so she was a very serious, inward-turning kind of dog. The other was just a very smart dog who liked to spend a lot of her time interpreting her surroundings. I'd say that both of them were smarter and had bigger world-views than my cat, who is a delightful person but definitely extremely home- and routine-focused.
I also like cat noises better than dog noises, except for the "it's 2am why are you not amusing and/or feeding me" wail. But that little warbling purr-meow when they've been napping and now want a belly rub? What is better than that?
posted by Frowner at 8:53 AM on October 4, 2023 [9 favorites]
I also like cat noises better than dog noises, except for the "it's 2am why are you not amusing and/or feeding me" wail. But that little warbling purr-meow when they've been napping and now want a belly rub? What is better than that?
posted by Frowner at 8:53 AM on October 4, 2023 [9 favorites]
Dogs and cats have more in common with each other than they do with us.
posted by joannemerriam at 8:55 AM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by joannemerriam at 8:55 AM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
it is possible to love them all, the cute furry little critters in our lives, our neighborhoods, our friends houses.
Hell, I get sentimental and gooshy about birds and squirrels even, or about chipmunks or horses or goats or sheep or racoons or any other random animal that comes across my path.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:55 AM on October 4, 2023 [10 favorites]
Hell, I get sentimental and gooshy about birds and squirrels even, or about chipmunks or horses or goats or sheep or racoons or any other random animal that comes across my path.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:55 AM on October 4, 2023 [10 favorites]
I will add that in fairness to dogs, the other day when I had two sheep that I just could not get out of the field, my cats were no help at all ;) My neighbour's lovely huntaway saved the day.
posted by Rhedyn at 8:58 AM on October 4, 2023 [14 favorites]
posted by Rhedyn at 8:58 AM on October 4, 2023 [14 favorites]
When I was a kid getting off the bus from preschool I recall that period getting chased by a mean dog. I never knew where it came from. I lived in the country and only knew my direct neighbors and the family down the "block" (e.g. 1/3 of a mile away).
So not a lot of people around, but we knew it wasn't their dog, but every day after school that bastard was chasing after me. I hated it. I heard he got ran over at some point. I didn't mind the neighbors dog Fritzy, and the other neighbors dog. But that dog. Scarred me.
And then my sister had cats ever since I was like 6. And thus I am a cat person.
Dogs are hit or miss when they see me. Some love me, but a disturbing number really do not like me.
Cats, It's not that I am a cat person I'm a cat magnet. I just know cats. I exude cat. There are cats (especially wild/stray) that may be a bit more standoffish, though generally with minor coaxing they usually are good.
I know cats, I speak cat language. Dogs maybe we can get it off they have a particular happiness for me, otherwise the most I feel is "You're alright - for a dog"
And dog owners, I hate to judge, but they strike me as needing to be masters, they need the dog-servant.
My cats have not been nearly as aloof and distant as people make them out to be. All my cats have been a bit spoiled, and I can't get time to myself, sometimes, they're so demanding. I've taken to putting a small table with fuzzy topper next to me so one of our boys can sit next to me while I'm at the computer. The other one is often with my roomie on the couch or on her bed.
I think I agree with the person above who likes the little dogs as long as they're not yapping all the time (which I find is true for a lot of the smaller ones, alas).
Big dogs? See the previous trauma that was a farm dog, shepherd or lab or something.
But Wolves are hella cool. And Huskies.
posted by symbioid at 9:01 AM on October 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
So not a lot of people around, but we knew it wasn't their dog, but every day after school that bastard was chasing after me. I hated it. I heard he got ran over at some point. I didn't mind the neighbors dog Fritzy, and the other neighbors dog. But that dog. Scarred me.
And then my sister had cats ever since I was like 6. And thus I am a cat person.
Dogs are hit or miss when they see me. Some love me, but a disturbing number really do not like me.
Cats, It's not that I am a cat person I'm a cat magnet. I just know cats. I exude cat. There are cats (especially wild/stray) that may be a bit more standoffish, though generally with minor coaxing they usually are good.
I know cats, I speak cat language. Dogs maybe we can get it off they have a particular happiness for me, otherwise the most I feel is "You're alright - for a dog"
And dog owners, I hate to judge, but they strike me as needing to be masters, they need the dog-servant.
My cats have not been nearly as aloof and distant as people make them out to be. All my cats have been a bit spoiled, and I can't get time to myself, sometimes, they're so demanding. I've taken to putting a small table with fuzzy topper next to me so one of our boys can sit next to me while I'm at the computer. The other one is often with my roomie on the couch or on her bed.
I think I agree with the person above who likes the little dogs as long as they're not yapping all the time (which I find is true for a lot of the smaller ones, alas).
Big dogs? See the previous trauma that was a farm dog, shepherd or lab or something.
But Wolves are hella cool. And Huskies.
posted by symbioid at 9:01 AM on October 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
I feel like all of the cat people I know also love dogs. its the dog people who do not all accept kitty loving into their lives.
QFT.
lol what, this is not true at all
posted by thebots at 9:03 AM on October 4, 2023 [13 favorites]
QFT.
lol what, this is not true at all
posted by thebots at 9:03 AM on October 4, 2023 [13 favorites]
I like to joke about cats and dogs, but in the end they're friends, companions, members of a household. I don't get the strong opinions on which is better/worse, I don't understand "you people"
cats keep the mice in check, they keep squirrels away, they have a job where I live. dogs are a security system. and once you live with someone, you want to get along with them and love them or what is the fucking point? I'll say this, I'm happy in the company of cats and dogs and I can't say the same about some types in this thread. people really suck sometimes.
posted by elkevelvet at 9:04 AM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
cats keep the mice in check, they keep squirrels away, they have a job where I live. dogs are a security system. and once you live with someone, you want to get along with them and love them or what is the fucking point? I'll say this, I'm happy in the company of cats and dogs and I can't say the same about some types in this thread. people really suck sometimes.
posted by elkevelvet at 9:04 AM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
I like dogs well enough, but I can't imagine bringing one into my life given the attention they need. I've already got a kid. Not to mention that our house isn't big enough for the size of dog I'd prefer to have if I had one. Oh, and our current cadre of cats would flip out in ways I don't want to imagine. I'm also allergic to a fair number of dogs, particularly ones whose coats get oily.
I imagine there are a fair number of irresponsible cat owners, but being an irresponsible dog owner tends to be a much more public act. This probably explains some of the sentiment expressed here. I've had a lot of run-ins with unleashed and/or poorly trained dogs. The best was one that was muddy and wet from playing in a stream. It ran up to me and tried to jump on me, and when I put my hand out to stop it, it put my hand in its mouth. I could tell it wasn't being aggressive at all, so I wasn't worried about it, but someone who was nervous around dogs would have had a totally different and completely justified reaction. This was in a park where the rules are very clear that dogs should be leashed.
posted by mollweide at 9:20 AM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
I imagine there are a fair number of irresponsible cat owners, but being an irresponsible dog owner tends to be a much more public act. This probably explains some of the sentiment expressed here. I've had a lot of run-ins with unleashed and/or poorly trained dogs. The best was one that was muddy and wet from playing in a stream. It ran up to me and tried to jump on me, and when I put my hand out to stop it, it put my hand in its mouth. I could tell it wasn't being aggressive at all, so I wasn't worried about it, but someone who was nervous around dogs would have had a totally different and completely justified reaction. This was in a park where the rules are very clear that dogs should be leashed.
posted by mollweide at 9:20 AM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
chipmunks or horses or goats or sheep or racoons or any other random animal that comes across my path
Do yourself a favor and follow Crouton & Friends, an account for an upstate animal sanctuary run by two queer (I think?) ladies.
posted by praemunire at 9:20 AM on October 4, 2023
Do yourself a favor and follow Crouton & Friends, an account for an upstate animal sanctuary run by two queer (I think?) ladies.
posted by praemunire at 9:20 AM on October 4, 2023
By the way, I am sympathetic towards the dog-nervous. I grew up in a neighborhood where most dogs were large and either semi-feral strays or abused "guard" dogs. I was wary of them for years, and definitely preferred cats, even though ours were assholes.
Then my friend got a yellow lab puppy. Friends, I am not made of stone.
posted by praemunire at 9:21 AM on October 4, 2023 [6 favorites]
Then my friend got a yellow lab puppy. Friends, I am not made of stone.
posted by praemunire at 9:21 AM on October 4, 2023 [6 favorites]
(Now I have a dog who refuses to go outside in the city even to toilet and who treats me as a kibble- and body warmth-dispenser, usually declining even to be petted. Most of the time, he doesn't even look up when I come home. So I guess I got...the best...of both worlds?)
posted by praemunire at 9:24 AM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by praemunire at 9:24 AM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
I like cats and dogs. I don't like humans who own dogs but are too immature to care for them properly.
posted by ovvl at 9:24 AM on October 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by ovvl at 9:24 AM on October 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
How often do you see an article in the vein of "Why do people have dogs? I mean, have they ever met a cat?" or "Dog People, What Is Even Wrong With Them, Anyway?"
That's basically every article about how great cats are vis a vis dogs? But also, to the extent the article says that, it is attempting a bit of arch hyperbole. And failing at it given the responses here. The article is written by a someone who likes cats, she just likes dogs more.
And as for the responses here... Dogs will maul you, you'll have to pick up thier poop, they smell, they are loud, assholes own them, they are slobbery, they smell, too friendly, keep them on the leash, follow the rules, keep them smelly bitey poop bags away from me fuckers!
All of those things can be said of cats, of course, though generally you have to visit a cat owner to get the full effect. (Should I avoid having cat owner friends? Cats have put my allergic ass in the hospital before. Usually I just take a pill anymore, though.) Maybe I wish the comments here were more in the line of "dogs are awesome!" hmm. Let me change my tone.
I like cats, even though I can't touch them. I used to have a pretty great bob-tail cat. He was giant, murderous, and kind to people. He lived a long and happy life, and it took at least a decade for his allergens to leave my life. I miss him still.
posted by surlyben at 9:29 AM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
That's basically every article about how great cats are vis a vis dogs? But also, to the extent the article says that, it is attempting a bit of arch hyperbole. And failing at it given the responses here. The article is written by a someone who likes cats, she just likes dogs more.
And as for the responses here... Dogs will maul you, you'll have to pick up thier poop, they smell, they are loud, assholes own them, they are slobbery, they smell, too friendly, keep them on the leash, follow the rules, keep them smelly bitey poop bags away from me fuckers!
All of those things can be said of cats, of course, though generally you have to visit a cat owner to get the full effect. (Should I avoid having cat owner friends? Cats have put my allergic ass in the hospital before. Usually I just take a pill anymore, though.) Maybe I wish the comments here were more in the line of "dogs are awesome!" hmm. Let me change my tone.
I like cats, even though I can't touch them. I used to have a pretty great bob-tail cat. He was giant, murderous, and kind to people. He lived a long and happy life, and it took at least a decade for his allergens to leave my life. I miss him still.
posted by surlyben at 9:29 AM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
The only animal I ever lived with as an adult was an African grey parrot. He was A Lot. I loved him, but also had something of a Stockholm Syndrome scenario vis a vis bites, which were frequent and went from "ouch, you ahole" to "awww, another crescent moon on my finger! i have the feels." Anyhow, if you own or care for a bird, you will run into Bird People. I considered becoming a full-fledged Bird Person until one day, when I was behind a woman at a store with a parakeet on her shoulder. The bird - as birds do, with alarming frequency - pooped. On her shoulder. And then waggled its tailfeathers back and forth, smearing the poop across her green fuzzy jacket. She, blissfully unaware, chatted away with the clerk.
I decided, at that point, not to be a Bird Person.
posted by grumpybear69 at 9:38 AM on October 4, 2023 [15 favorites]
I decided, at that point, not to be a Bird Person.
posted by grumpybear69 at 9:38 AM on October 4, 2023 [15 favorites]
In my experience, the vast majority of cats will give you back exactly what you give them. If you don't give a shit about them, they won't give a shit about you. If you only pay attention to their existence when it suits you and you're not busy with other things, they will only pay attention to your existence when it suits them. (This actually describes a very large percentage of pet owners, even ones that love their cats, and is why cats have such a reputation for "aloofness".) They are consistently warm and affectionate towards people who are consistently warm and affectionate towards them.
To some people (like me, or EmpressCallipygos apparently), that behavior just seems fair, and kind of, I don't know, honest? In a way that the unwavering adoration of dogs is not. To other people, I think the conditional will-only-be-nice-to-you-if-you're-nice-to-me-first makes them feels like they're trapped in an endless cycle of Prisoner's Dilemma. A lot of people hate this about cats; they want a creature that will love them unconditionally no matter what, not one that holds up a mirror to their own behavior or makes them feel judged. Those folks intensely dislike cats. You don't see the same dislike of dogs from people unless they were actually physically attacked by a dog at some point.
posted by mstokes650 at 9:52 AM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
To some people (like me, or EmpressCallipygos apparently), that behavior just seems fair, and kind of, I don't know, honest? In a way that the unwavering adoration of dogs is not. To other people, I think the conditional will-only-be-nice-to-you-if-you're-nice-to-me-first makes them feels like they're trapped in an endless cycle of Prisoner's Dilemma. A lot of people hate this about cats; they want a creature that will love them unconditionally no matter what, not one that holds up a mirror to their own behavior or makes them feel judged. Those folks intensely dislike cats. You don't see the same dislike of dogs from people unless they were actually physically attacked by a dog at some point.
posted by mstokes650 at 9:52 AM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
I didn't know until recently that you're not supposed to pet dogs on the head. This has changed how I, as a cat person, interact with dogs when I am forced to interact with them.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 9:54 AM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by RonButNotStupid at 9:54 AM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
I didn't know until recently that you're not supposed to pet dogs on the head.
This is, by the way, also true of sheep. Top of head is fight. Chin scratchies are friend.
posted by Rhedyn at 9:56 AM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
This is, by the way, also true of sheep. Top of head is fight. Chin scratchies are friend.
posted by Rhedyn at 9:56 AM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
I'm a bit of both. In my adult life I've had the pleasure of caring for 7 dogs and 4 cats. (4 and 2 currently with us). Everyone of them has had a different personality and has been a different learning experience. I've generally enjoyed their company far more than 90% of humanity.
And I was attacked in my yard as a kid by a neighbors Rottie after they slipped their leash (got saved by my childhood Springer that tackled that other dog). Meanwhile, my mom's favorite asshole cat decided he didn't want to come indoors and chomped on my hand hard enough to send me to the docs with deep bleeding wounds and a nasty infection. (still have the puncture mark scars on the back of my hand 20 years later).
Still love them all.
The Cats
posted by drewbage1847 at 9:57 AM on October 4, 2023 [16 favorites]
And I was attacked in my yard as a kid by a neighbors Rottie after they slipped their leash (got saved by my childhood Springer that tackled that other dog). Meanwhile, my mom's favorite asshole cat decided he didn't want to come indoors and chomped on my hand hard enough to send me to the docs with deep bleeding wounds and a nasty infection. (still have the puncture mark scars on the back of my hand 20 years later).
Still love them all.
The Cats
- Mark: a big fat Russian Blue with cut rock slabs for cheeks. He would let you know he was ready for love by plopping at 22 lbs of himself on your chest. Made it to 15 and I miss him
- Rita: Mark's littermate - a gray tiger cat, who preferred her love at a distance (namely your feet). Troublemaker of a cat - would hunt down pizza boxes to knock over and eat all the cheese, toppings and sauce. Simmered down in her old age and acquiesced to me wrapping her up in a purrito towel to give her sub-q fluids every day from an IV bag before passing at nearly 18
- Isis: My polydactyl black marshmallow of love. She and all 26ish toes will pad around the house and have a full conversation with you, but she won't sit with you. She'll just plop herself down somewhere in your path and say "don't you want to pet me?"
- Osiris: Icy's litter mat - the racoon bandit that's rarely seen but when he jumps up on the bed, he's a cuddlebug and love hog. Wish he wasn't a scaredy cat and struggle with how to make him feel safe. (chicken helps)
- Toby: Was actually my wife's dog when we started dating. Would resolutely wedge himself between us when in bed until he discovered that I knew how to play and tickle his terrier beard in a way that he loved. He's the reason we finally bought a house, because we promised him a yard (where he promptly fell asleep on the sun warmed bricks as an old man)
- Sammy: the old man asshole chihuahua whose 19 year old fuzz butt is snoring about 10 feet to my right. Never thought I'd get a little dog, but I lost the argument when he stared at my wife and licked her nose. Grumpy little turd pulled a fast con right there. :)
- Cookie: When Mark was declining, my wife insisted that I needed to prepare with another animal. We found this little red chihuahua/corgi mix at the local shelter after she was returned "Mom didn't want". Only got six years with her, but honestly I loved this dog more than maybe all but 2 people. She had IVDD and spinal surgery and I had to be careful about picking her up with me, she taught me a lot about care and I miss her every day.
- Betty: when we adopted her, she was already old (7+). Tiny little chihuahua girl mixed with something with crazy long skinny legs and a skittish attitude about everything except my wife and bacon. Adored my wife to the hills and back and was going strong and steady before an aggressive melanoma snatched her away from us. She stayed suspicious of me to the end, woofing at me even after the visiting doc gave her her final sedative. Goofy little girl.
- Pippy: Our school garden girl and our only puppy. (she was found in a garden next to my wife's classroom.) She was only supposed to be a temporary puppy - 9 years later she's still here! She's our lover, she'll bark at everyone and then 5 seconds later show her belly for pats. Funny to see how she is as our one "raised by us"
- Hugo: After we lost Cookie, we went and found another weird stumpy mix of chihuahua, corgi (and bully in his case) - he's a butthead about other dogs (wants to show them who's boss) and an absolute meatball of love who glues himself to your side the second you sit/law down. Still trying to teach him that non-pack mates are potential friends
- Pumpkin: Our newest rescue - a 7lb ChiPom. She lived in a backyard for 3 years with her brothers/sisters and apparently never had a name. Also adores my wife and she's quick but skittish. Took us 6 months to teach her that she was absolutely allowed in the house. Took her a few months to learn she had a voice and how to use it. Now, she's a full on bossy bear that flounces around like a floofy mix of floor mop and imperious princess.
posted by drewbage1847 at 9:57 AM on October 4, 2023 [16 favorites]
Well said, drewbage.
the unwavering adoration of dogs is not
I will say: before going over to the dog side, I thought along these lines (at least for house dogs as opposed to the scary dogs of my youth). Once you spend time with them ("Next on A Current Affair: behind the bellyrubs!"), you realize that really having a good relationship with them, one that respects their autonomy while keeping them safe, healthy, and happy and your household functional, takes work! They are a whole other species, not a mere reflection of humans' egos. My dog does not adore me, and probably never will. But we have built a pretty good basis of trust, even though I have to hold him in my lap and pour a medicated solution into his ears every week.
posted by praemunire at 10:07 AM on October 4, 2023 [7 favorites]
the unwavering adoration of dogs is not
I will say: before going over to the dog side, I thought along these lines (at least for house dogs as opposed to the scary dogs of my youth). Once you spend time with them ("Next on A Current Affair: behind the bellyrubs!"), you realize that really having a good relationship with them, one that respects their autonomy while keeping them safe, healthy, and happy and your household functional, takes work! They are a whole other species, not a mere reflection of humans' egos. My dog does not adore me, and probably never will. But we have built a pretty good basis of trust, even though I have to hold him in my lap and pour a medicated solution into his ears every week.
posted by praemunire at 10:07 AM on October 4, 2023 [7 favorites]
grumpybear, your post gave me flashbacks to a period of birdsitting an African Grey.. Mr. Bird ("when you're this big they call you Mister") we adored him but knew to be careful around that beak
orange Fluffy the cat would lay on the top of his cage and let a paw dangle, then one day she didn't, no-one saw it happen but by her limp it must have been an effective communication from Mr. Bird
posted by elkevelvet at 10:07 AM on October 4, 2023 [4 favorites]
orange Fluffy the cat would lay on the top of his cage and let a paw dangle, then one day she didn't, no-one saw it happen but by her limp it must have been an effective communication from Mr. Bird
posted by elkevelvet at 10:07 AM on October 4, 2023 [4 favorites]
yeah for me personally the whole dogs === children angle might be valid. I love other dogs I know , the dogs of friends and neighbors. I am happy to give them pets and tummy rubs. but I have only ever had cats. they work well for me and I'm happy to be beholden to a small furry monster that screams at me for attention more often than you might imagine. and they are just so cute.
posted by supermedusa at 10:14 AM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by supermedusa at 10:14 AM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
Yeah, the idea that all dogs want to love and obey you innately is--well, y'all have very different tastes in dogs than I do. I like busy, thoughtful, bright dogs that will blow you off if you're not being Interesting right now; I grew up with Jack Russell Terriers and unfortunately it seems to have stuck. My current youngest dog, a blue heeler, routinely "cusses" at me: she makes disgust faces and barks silently at me when I'm not doing the things she wants me to do. I have described our evening games of Frisbee and fetch as an extended argument, because they are. It's great, but it has absolutely nothing in common with any desire for subservient, unthinking, unchosen loyalty.
On the other hand, my cats greet me at the door with all the enthusiasm the dogs do, usually yelling to demand that I come see them and say Hi to the rest of the colony. As I type this, there is a cat passed out very happily in my lap. When I consider my pets, within each species I have one grumpy, suspicious old lady who loves me and will browbeat me into sitting down and cuddling; one anxious, sweet little man who desperately wants cuddling at all times but is gripped by weird compulsions and behavioral quirks; one horrible little chaos goblin that lives for maximum stimulation and engagement at all times.
I dunno, man; I have three of each, only grew up with dogs, will always have dogs, will probably always have a cat, but I just enjoy both species a whole lot. (Although I would like to downsize a bit, in the long term. Six critters is a lot, especially when some are special needs.) It's always so interesting communicating and forming relationships with a little creature different than yourself who lives in your home. They're just little guys, you know?
posted by sciatrix at 10:25 AM on October 4, 2023 [22 favorites]
On the other hand, my cats greet me at the door with all the enthusiasm the dogs do, usually yelling to demand that I come see them and say Hi to the rest of the colony. As I type this, there is a cat passed out very happily in my lap. When I consider my pets, within each species I have one grumpy, suspicious old lady who loves me and will browbeat me into sitting down and cuddling; one anxious, sweet little man who desperately wants cuddling at all times but is gripped by weird compulsions and behavioral quirks; one horrible little chaos goblin that lives for maximum stimulation and engagement at all times.
I dunno, man; I have three of each, only grew up with dogs, will always have dogs, will probably always have a cat, but I just enjoy both species a whole lot. (Although I would like to downsize a bit, in the long term. Six critters is a lot, especially when some are special needs.) It's always so interesting communicating and forming relationships with a little creature different than yourself who lives in your home. They're just little guys, you know?
posted by sciatrix at 10:25 AM on October 4, 2023 [22 favorites]
Half-baked theory: "Dog person" is often an (imperfect, but not useless) indicator of socioeconomic status.
If you grew up in a working class town like I did where dogs roamed free, some of them vicious, nobody formally trained their dog, vet visits were infrequent or nonexistent... you might have grown up poor. And be a little less likely to be a dog person.
posted by clawsoon at 10:28 AM on October 4, 2023 [4 favorites]
If you grew up in a working class town like I did where dogs roamed free, some of them vicious, nobody formally trained their dog, vet visits were infrequent or nonexistent... you might have grown up poor. And be a little less likely to be a dog person.
posted by clawsoon at 10:28 AM on October 4, 2023 [4 favorites]
I like most animals, and I have cats. Just two. Good little shelter-mogs who've been with me 12 years now.
Before I got them, I used to volunteer to walk dogs at a greyhound shelter. I would happily have adopted a greyhound or even two, if I lived somewhere better for them. (Apartment, many stairs, no yard)
But cats suit my life as it is right now. I live alone, and a lone person can look after two cats-- whereas doing 100% of the care & maintenance of a dog, throughout its life, would leave no room for anything else.
Meanwhile, I'll happily walk other people's dogs, and will gladly pet any I see in the street, if the owner (and dog) permits. They're good creatures, and often even the "bad" ones just need to feel safe.
(I remember making friends, in my early teens, with a medium-size dog whose owner warned me she was mean, and who initially growled at me. I waited until the owner had her attention, and then I started petting her butt, because I figured that end couldn't bite me. It worked: she turned around and licked my hand. A good dog.)
posted by Pallas Athena at 10:29 AM on October 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
Before I got them, I used to volunteer to walk dogs at a greyhound shelter. I would happily have adopted a greyhound or even two, if I lived somewhere better for them. (Apartment, many stairs, no yard)
But cats suit my life as it is right now. I live alone, and a lone person can look after two cats-- whereas doing 100% of the care & maintenance of a dog, throughout its life, would leave no room for anything else.
Meanwhile, I'll happily walk other people's dogs, and will gladly pet any I see in the street, if the owner (and dog) permits. They're good creatures, and often even the "bad" ones just need to feel safe.
(I remember making friends, in my early teens, with a medium-size dog whose owner warned me she was mean, and who initially growled at me. I waited until the owner had her attention, and then I started petting her butt, because I figured that end couldn't bite me. It worked: she turned around and licked my hand. A good dog.)
posted by Pallas Athena at 10:29 AM on October 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
I've never seen a "cat person" walk their cat, pick up their cat's shit, put it in a thin plastic "kitty bag", and then, instead of, you know, taking it with them and putting it in the trash later, carefully lift the windshield wiper of a nearby car and place the bag under that windshield wiper.
Whereas I see dog people do that literally every day in my neighborhood. What is this piece of dog-walker culture? What is the reasoning? Anyone?
posted by dmd at 10:32 AM on October 4, 2023 [6 favorites]
Whereas I see dog people do that literally every day in my neighborhood. What is this piece of dog-walker culture? What is the reasoning? Anyone?
posted by dmd at 10:32 AM on October 4, 2023 [6 favorites]
I don't know about the dog people who do that, but there are definitely people who let their cats roam the neighborhood who then proceed to take a shit right in the middle of my front lawn. (yard is fenced, so unlikely any dogs making that size poop is making it past the fencing) - plus the dead birds I find in my backyard from the roaming cats.
posted by drewbage1847 at 10:36 AM on October 4, 2023 [8 favorites]
posted by drewbage1847 at 10:36 AM on October 4, 2023 [8 favorites]
I've never seen a "cat person" walk their cat, pick up their cat's shit, put it in a thin plastic "kitty bag", and then, instead of, you know, taking it with them and putting it in the trash later, carefully lift the windshield wiper of a nearby car and place the bag under that windshield wiper.
I've not seen that but it smacks of a anti-car political agenda or a parking spot dibs dispute to me. The dog walkers I find baffing are the ones who bag the dog shit up and then just drop it somewhere on the sidewalk even though my area has garbage cans on every block corner. Like you did the hard part why didn't you finish properly like a good boy?
If you want to center your life around handling warm dog shit, there's really no substitute.
My mom had a friend who once confessed to her that on an early morning walk in Canadian winter a bag of fresh shit was actually a pretty good handwarmer AND I CANNOT FORGET THIS SECOND-WARM-HAND ANECDOTE.
posted by srboisvert at 10:51 AM on October 4, 2023 [10 favorites]
I've not seen that but it smacks of a anti-car political agenda or a parking spot dibs dispute to me. The dog walkers I find baffing are the ones who bag the dog shit up and then just drop it somewhere on the sidewalk even though my area has garbage cans on every block corner. Like you did the hard part why didn't you finish properly like a good boy?
If you want to center your life around handling warm dog shit, there's really no substitute.
My mom had a friend who once confessed to her that on an early morning walk in Canadian winter a bag of fresh shit was actually a pretty good handwarmer AND I CANNOT FORGET THIS SECOND-WARM-HAND ANECDOTE.
posted by srboisvert at 10:51 AM on October 4, 2023 [10 favorites]
I threw a bag of warm poop at some men who were saying gross things to me once and let me tell you it was great. 10/10 would throw poo again.
posted by phunniemee at 10:58 AM on October 4, 2023 [26 favorites]
posted by phunniemee at 10:58 AM on October 4, 2023 [26 favorites]
I am neither a dog person nor a cat person, but if forced to choose (and I have been), I would pick a cat 99% of the time.
Now, 'some of my best friends are' dogs, so I can't be dogist, but dogs generally are way to social for me. I prefer to be left alone, and that is one thing my cat and I have in common.
(That and the 'no litterbox for dogs' thing- I have enough to do just taking care of my own waste)
posted by MtDewd at 11:01 AM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
Now, 'some of my best friends are' dogs, so I can't be dogist, but dogs generally are way to social for me. I prefer to be left alone, and that is one thing my cat and I have in common.
(That and the 'no litterbox for dogs' thing- I have enough to do just taking care of my own waste)
posted by MtDewd at 11:01 AM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
Looks like all the good states are cat states.
posted by pracowity at 11:12 AM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by pracowity at 11:12 AM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
I like both cats and dogs. Can't we all just get along?
posted by doctor_negative at 11:18 AM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by doctor_negative at 11:18 AM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
No.
posted by kyrademon at 11:38 AM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by kyrademon at 11:38 AM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
when I was small my aunt and uncle had a farm in North Carolina. amongst other things they bred Great Danes. the bitch, Heidi, was a beautiful and very large animal. we got down there and out of the car and my sister, maybe 4 or 5 years old is greeted by Heidi galloping up to her and licking her up her whole face. it was a completely friendly doggy greeting but my sister was terrified of dogs for a looooong time. until Trent, her now husbands very very good lab who was a big sweet goofball. now she loves dogs. and cats. and also guinea pigs, who are completely ridiculous. basically a fur burrito that squeaks.
posted by supermedusa at 11:53 AM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by supermedusa at 11:53 AM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
To be honest, I suspect all the reasons given in this thread why people do not like dogs as much as they do cats or at all are after the fact arguments and the reality is that you make your choice early and mostly unconsciously? I've always liked cats and I could find reasons for why I prefer them above dogs but honestly, it's not like I ever sat down and weighted the pros and cons of dogs vs cats.
posted by MartinWisse at 12:16 PM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by MartinWisse at 12:16 PM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
Since there's a lot of poop talk I must once again shill for the life changing magic of the Litter Robot. My cat isn't scared of it and every few days I empty the bin and never need to touch a scoop.
Every six months I disassemble it and take the big rotating part and the tray to a car wash and power blast them, but any water hose will work.
posted by emjaybee at 12:18 PM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
Every six months I disassemble it and take the big rotating part and the tray to a car wash and power blast them, but any water hose will work.
posted by emjaybee at 12:18 PM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
cats do not require my supervision for their excretory needs.
Blatantly untrue in the case of my cat, who does seem to want to do her business preferably when I'm around to notice & ideally when I'm in a Teams meeting and cannot intervene.
posted by MartinWisse at 12:21 PM on October 4, 2023 [7 favorites]
Blatantly untrue in the case of my cat, who does seem to want to do her business preferably when I'm around to notice & ideally when I'm in a Teams meeting and cannot intervene.
posted by MartinWisse at 12:21 PM on October 4, 2023 [7 favorites]
I have owned both dogs and cats (and other pets) - they are all the same to me. Maybe slightly different personalities, but not that different. I don't really get the strong preferences.
Also the only intelligent pet I ever had was a beagle that would open a sliding door, barf on the floor to make a diversion, then search the bedroom and hopefully steal a stuffed animal from my baby brother. Man that thing was annoying. I've only had unintelligent pets since.
posted by The_Vegetables at 12:29 PM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
Also the only intelligent pet I ever had was a beagle that would open a sliding door, barf on the floor to make a diversion, then search the bedroom and hopefully steal a stuffed animal from my baby brother. Man that thing was annoying. I've only had unintelligent pets since.
posted by The_Vegetables at 12:29 PM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
lol what, this is not true at all [that cat people are more likely to also like dogs than vice versa]
Yeah, that’s a really strange claim to me. Really I feel like there are just way more people in general who strongly dislike dogs, on a personal level, than who dislike cats, and this thread certainly shows some of that sentiment. One can argue that there are some legit reasons for that, as also discussed in the thread - dogs just take up more space and demand more active engagement, even when they are non-threatening - but I don’t buy the idea that cat people are the more tolerant ones.
(Before you ask, I’m more of a cat person myself)
posted by atoxyl at 12:38 PM on October 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
Yeah, that’s a really strange claim to me. Really I feel like there are just way more people in general who strongly dislike dogs, on a personal level, than who dislike cats, and this thread certainly shows some of that sentiment. One can argue that there are some legit reasons for that, as also discussed in the thread - dogs just take up more space and demand more active engagement, even when they are non-threatening - but I don’t buy the idea that cat people are the more tolerant ones.
(Before you ask, I’m more of a cat person myself)
posted by atoxyl at 12:38 PM on October 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
Since there's a lot of poop talk I must once again shill for the life changing magic of the Litter Robot. My cat isn't scared of it and every few days I empty the bin and never need to touch a scoop.
Cosign: none of my cats are afraid of ours, either, and it is real nice to have it functioning without input.
They're spendy as hell though. Best acquired by putting up a Craigslist alert and jumping on a deal.
posted by sciatrix at 12:39 PM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
Cosign: none of my cats are afraid of ours, either, and it is real nice to have it functioning without input.
They're spendy as hell though. Best acquired by putting up a Craigslist alert and jumping on a deal.
posted by sciatrix at 12:39 PM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
The Litter Robot is great until you encounter the dreaded failure mode of "gets poop everywhere inside the shell and in the gears".
posted by dmd at 12:40 PM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by dmd at 12:40 PM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
My husband is a dog person to his very core, so we have a dog. She is good and funny and I like her a lot, but I don't think I'd have a dog if I were the sole decision maker. I think by temperament I am more of a cat person, but I'm very allergic to cats - and honestly I think I just am not someone who really wants a pet at all. I think cats are just closer to that ideal because they seem less needy.
posted by potrzebie at 12:49 PM on October 4, 2023
posted by potrzebie at 12:49 PM on October 4, 2023
Since there's a lot of poop talk I must once again shill for the life changing magic of the Litter Robot. My cat isn't scared of it and every few days I empty the bin and never need to touch a scoop.
I use Omega Paw Roll' N Clean Litterbox with Worlds Finest Cat litter. It's not robotic - it is just a covered litter box that requires you to roll it and tap it a few times and all the clumps and poop gravity filter right into a handled scoop. No sifting or shoveling through cat litter at all. Great smell control and no egregious plastic waste or electrical consumption. It's just a slightly more advanced litter box. After 10 years we've just upgraded to a larger one because our cat was always a bit large for the small and she deserved a reward for 10 years of being a good cat and it works even better than the small one - even less wasted cat litter and more efficient filtering. People who cat sit for us are always amazed by it.
posted by srboisvert at 1:19 PM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
I use Omega Paw Roll' N Clean Litterbox with Worlds Finest Cat litter. It's not robotic - it is just a covered litter box that requires you to roll it and tap it a few times and all the clumps and poop gravity filter right into a handled scoop. No sifting or shoveling through cat litter at all. Great smell control and no egregious plastic waste or electrical consumption. It's just a slightly more advanced litter box. After 10 years we've just upgraded to a larger one because our cat was always a bit large for the small and she deserved a reward for 10 years of being a good cat and it works even better than the small one - even less wasted cat litter and more efficient filtering. People who cat sit for us are always amazed by it.
posted by srboisvert at 1:19 PM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
In random coincidental dog news, a stray dog showed up in the studio of the European Chess Cup early today, about 5 hours into the broadcast. They were unable to get the dog to appear on camera.
posted by clawsoon at 1:19 PM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by clawsoon at 1:19 PM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
Cats are pretty much the same, but due to a genetic quirk, dog breeds are wildly different. Compare a chihuahua to a great Dane. You can make generalizations about cats, but I think it's silly to do so about dogs.
Some dogs I like. Some dogs I do not care for. I like the calm, competent, independently-minded dogs. I really don't care for overhyper, over-energized, needy, jumpy, dependent, etc types. Little dogs that are always underfoot and yapping--no thanks. Dogs that want to lick your face and lips--a big no thanks to that (dogs often chew on turds do they not?).
So I am halfway a dog person. It really depends on the dog.
posted by zardoz at 1:29 PM on October 4, 2023
Some dogs I like. Some dogs I do not care for. I like the calm, competent, independently-minded dogs. I really don't care for overhyper, over-energized, needy, jumpy, dependent, etc types. Little dogs that are always underfoot and yapping--no thanks. Dogs that want to lick your face and lips--a big no thanks to that (dogs often chew on turds do they not?).
So I am halfway a dog person. It really depends on the dog.
posted by zardoz at 1:29 PM on October 4, 2023
grumpybear, your post gave me flashbacks to a period of birdsitting an African Grey.. Mr. Bird
Ha, my parrot was named Mr. President! Those Greys do like their honorifics.
posted by grumpybear69 at 1:37 PM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
Ha, my parrot was named Mr. President! Those Greys do like their honorifics.
posted by grumpybear69 at 1:37 PM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
I grew up with both dogs and cats, and have been a cat-exclusive pet owner throughout my adulthood. I don't mind dogs, much in the same way I don't mind other people's children, but I'm not an enthusiast. This isn't a judgment against dogs, nor is it an endorsement of cats, it's simply my subjective opinion.
However, I strongly believe domesticated cats should be indoors-only pets due to the harm they can cause local fauna and the kinds of diseases they can spread through their waste.
I also strongly believe domesticated dogs should be kept on their leashes except in designated areas, don't belong in many public spaces, and should have their excrement disposed of in an appropriate bin at their owner's property (at best) or in a public trash recepticle. So many small baggies of dog shit are just left laying around my city and at trailheads because their owners are too entitled to be uphold this part of the social contract.
Which I think nails down to my whole position in this silly debate—entitled pet owners are douchebags. What kind of pet they own is secondary to that.
posted by joseph_elmhurst at 1:57 PM on October 4, 2023 [9 favorites]
However, I strongly believe domesticated cats should be indoors-only pets due to the harm they can cause local fauna and the kinds of diseases they can spread through their waste.
I also strongly believe domesticated dogs should be kept on their leashes except in designated areas, don't belong in many public spaces, and should have their excrement disposed of in an appropriate bin at their owner's property (at best) or in a public trash recepticle. So many small baggies of dog shit are just left laying around my city and at trailheads because their owners are too entitled to be uphold this part of the social contract.
Which I think nails down to my whole position in this silly debate—entitled pet owners are douchebags. What kind of pet they own is secondary to that.
posted by joseph_elmhurst at 1:57 PM on October 4, 2023 [9 favorites]
Yeah. We had to let one senior cat go early this year and we just figured out the other has arthritis. Both animals hid their discomfort really well. Arthritis kitty is getting a shot that has made her way more active again and we feel bad for not noticing sooner.
Is it Solensia? We started it for our senior kitty a couple months ago, and he's doing daily zoomies again! Such a great product.
posted by cozenedindigo at 2:15 PM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
Is it Solensia? We started it for our senior kitty a couple months ago, and he's doing daily zoomies again! Such a great product.
posted by cozenedindigo at 2:15 PM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
there'll be robots around to walk and feed the dogs after we're gone.
See City by Clifford Simak.
posted by Rash at 2:32 PM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
See City by Clifford Simak.
posted by Rash at 2:32 PM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
Heh. I read the first article earlier today, and thought "Damn, that's going to go off if they see it on Metafilter." Someone at the Grauniad clearly asked Zoe Williams to drag some eyeballs in, and she pressed the "Cat vs. Dog" button this week. I normally like her stuff, but ugh...
My family are all dog types, and I've met some good dogs, but they're mostly just noisy and smelly and needy, like people. Every cat I've ever met, however momentarily, has made me feel better about the universe, like I've encountered a beautiful, chaotic work of art.
posted by tomsk at 3:49 PM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
My family are all dog types, and I've met some good dogs, but they're mostly just noisy and smelly and needy, like people. Every cat I've ever met, however momentarily, has made me feel better about the universe, like I've encountered a beautiful, chaotic work of art.
posted by tomsk at 3:49 PM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
My cats and my puppy. (He is bigger now and is half St Bernard but we do bathe him) as well as the trash panda that has adopted us.
I like them all. It is often chaotic with puppy especially right now, so I find it hard to see it as wanting something to worship me. Maybe that’s because his other half is Bernese mountain dog and so he’s very clear he’s a herder dog.
I will admit that the cats and dog and I sit together at times and I tell them “dog, our ancestors ate together by the fire 10,000 years ago and cats, my ancestors worshipped you in Egypt,” and they all seem fine with this pop science geneology.
Over the pandemic, one of my neighbours, a widower, raised Monarch butterflies. He said, from a distance outside back when even 6 ft seemed not enough, he wanted something to care for. I think humans bond a lot with things around them to care for - grasshoppers, dogs, cats, cats, stock portfolios. I find it touching sometimes, in the right mood.
posted by warriorqueen at 4:09 PM on October 4, 2023 [7 favorites]
I like them all. It is often chaotic with puppy especially right now, so I find it hard to see it as wanting something to worship me. Maybe that’s because his other half is Bernese mountain dog and so he’s very clear he’s a herder dog.
I will admit that the cats and dog and I sit together at times and I tell them “dog, our ancestors ate together by the fire 10,000 years ago and cats, my ancestors worshipped you in Egypt,” and they all seem fine with this pop science geneology.
Over the pandemic, one of my neighbours, a widower, raised Monarch butterflies. He said, from a distance outside back when even 6 ft seemed not enough, he wanted something to care for. I think humans bond a lot with things around them to care for - grasshoppers, dogs, cats, cats, stock portfolios. I find it touching sometimes, in the right mood.
posted by warriorqueen at 4:09 PM on October 4, 2023 [7 favorites]
"Dog Person" by sockpup
Anyway, after the initial awkwardness he turned out to be great in bed, and, as promised, the eggs were excellent at breakfast.
~Fin~
posted by sockpup at 4:20 PM on October 4, 2023 [4 favorites]
Anyway, after the initial awkwardness he turned out to be great in bed, and, as promised, the eggs were excellent at breakfast.
~Fin~
posted by sockpup at 4:20 PM on October 4, 2023 [4 favorites]
Well, this discussion is much grouchier than I expected. I guess I am more of a pet person than a people person.
posted by the primroses were over at 4:24 PM on October 4, 2023 [15 favorites]
posted by the primroses were over at 4:24 PM on October 4, 2023 [15 favorites]
There are two kinds of people in this world: those who feel the need to put people in discrete categories, and those who don’t.
posted by badbobbycase at 4:29 PM on October 4, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by badbobbycase at 4:29 PM on October 4, 2023 [4 favorites]
I have met dogs; they are sometimes nice, sometimes not. But I still would only get a dog if they bred one to purr, sleep most of the day, and poop in a litter box.
posted by jb at 4:46 PM on October 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by jb at 4:46 PM on October 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
Also, it should be soft and smell like a cat (a clean neutered cat).
posted by jb at 4:47 PM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by jb at 4:47 PM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
I adore dogs, and they seem to always like me too.
That said, my best friend on this planet is a cat I BEGGED my ex not to adopt after our first kitten died in my hands after eating an Advil someone dropped on the floor.
‘Please, no more cats..’, I asked her. Please, my heart can’t take it.
Ignored.
She and her kid go to the shelter and bring home a tiny furball. I freaked out.
‘OK this is YOUR cat. You feed it, you clean up after it. I am NOT going through this sh*t again!’
Well, the little guy made an immediate bee-line for my beard, curled up in it and never left.
Totally ignored them, which made them dislike him right back.
Since we split he stayed with me, of course. He’s incredible.
A beautiful Maine Coon/mutt, plays fetch, flirts, nurses me when I’m sick. Never caused a single problem in my life, and has been as loyal and kind as any dog I’ve known.
I made a decision early on to treat him and speak to him as an equal, no baby talk or condescension. If he wants attention I drop what I’m doing and give it to him.
Turns out if you LISTEN to a cat they will speak more often, and put the effort in to be heard/understood. Go figure!
He still lays on my chest and purrs, just like he did on day one.
And there will never, ever be an Advil on my floor again.
posted by chronkite at 5:45 PM on October 4, 2023 [13 favorites]
That said, my best friend on this planet is a cat I BEGGED my ex not to adopt after our first kitten died in my hands after eating an Advil someone dropped on the floor.
‘Please, no more cats..’, I asked her. Please, my heart can’t take it.
Ignored.
She and her kid go to the shelter and bring home a tiny furball. I freaked out.
‘OK this is YOUR cat. You feed it, you clean up after it. I am NOT going through this sh*t again!’
Well, the little guy made an immediate bee-line for my beard, curled up in it and never left.
Totally ignored them, which made them dislike him right back.
Since we split he stayed with me, of course. He’s incredible.
A beautiful Maine Coon/mutt, plays fetch, flirts, nurses me when I’m sick. Never caused a single problem in my life, and has been as loyal and kind as any dog I’ve known.
I made a decision early on to treat him and speak to him as an equal, no baby talk or condescension. If he wants attention I drop what I’m doing and give it to him.
Turns out if you LISTEN to a cat they will speak more often, and put the effort in to be heard/understood. Go figure!
He still lays on my chest and purrs, just like he did on day one.
And there will never, ever be an Advil on my floor again.
posted by chronkite at 5:45 PM on October 4, 2023 [13 favorites]
Very disappointing hardly anyone is linking to pictures of their cats and/or dogs so we can evaluate their arguments accurately, e.g., dogs are the best, QED
posted by Rumple at 5:55 PM on October 4, 2023 [14 favorites]
posted by Rumple at 5:55 PM on October 4, 2023 [14 favorites]
Painting I did of my homeboy here.
He was 100% unimpressed.
posted by chronkite at 6:37 PM on October 4, 2023 [11 favorites]
He was 100% unimpressed.
posted by chronkite at 6:37 PM on October 4, 2023 [11 favorites]
Cat people, they walk in, if they happen to trip over the cat, they said ‘hello’ to the cat.
Yeah no. I heard my neighbor when she got home today, exclaim, HI BABY! to her cat upstairs, who comes to greet her, same as mine do. Many cat people are just as excited to see, interact, and cuddle and spend time with their cat and I'm sick of people acting like having a cat means you barely see it or care about it.
I have a deep bond with my two furry guys. I believe it's somewhat like someone said better above...you often get back what you put in. Or if you aren't willing to love or spend time with them...you will likely not have much of a relationship with your cat. And that is sad.
Love them!
🐱
posted by tiny frying pan at 7:47 PM on October 4, 2023 [8 favorites]
Yeah no. I heard my neighbor when she got home today, exclaim, HI BABY! to her cat upstairs, who comes to greet her, same as mine do. Many cat people are just as excited to see, interact, and cuddle and spend time with their cat and I'm sick of people acting like having a cat means you barely see it or care about it.
I have a deep bond with my two furry guys. I believe it's somewhat like someone said better above...you often get back what you put in. Or if you aren't willing to love or spend time with them...you will likely not have much of a relationship with your cat. And that is sad.
Love them!
🐱
posted by tiny frying pan at 7:47 PM on October 4, 2023 [8 favorites]
Also the reason these types of articles and comparisons rankle is because they tend to sway towards the insulting.
The interesting, or maybe confronting thing about considering the dog person personality is that, truthfully, I still think of it as just being human
Right, cat people are less human, got it. 🙄
By comparing that to introversion, they imply that anyone neurodivergent in any way is...less? As a human being? Com'on. That's absolutely weird.
posted by tiny frying pan at 7:55 PM on October 4, 2023 [8 favorites]
The interesting, or maybe confronting thing about considering the dog person personality is that, truthfully, I still think of it as just being human
Right, cat people are less human, got it. 🙄
By comparing that to introversion, they imply that anyone neurodivergent in any way is...less? As a human being? Com'on. That's absolutely weird.
posted by tiny frying pan at 7:55 PM on October 4, 2023 [8 favorites]
Here's watercolor sketch I did of my dog Tilly a while back.
posted by surlyben at 8:03 PM on October 4, 2023 [9 favorites]
posted by surlyben at 8:03 PM on October 4, 2023 [9 favorites]
X the everything app contains photos of Speedball, courtesy of my step-child.
Speedball smells of maple syrup, and will literally jump up you for cuddles and nuzzles, from floor to face, whether or not you are expecting it. I suspect I would find a St Bernard doing that less adorable.
posted by Sparx at 8:44 PM on October 4, 2023 [9 favorites]
Speedball smells of maple syrup, and will literally jump up you for cuddles and nuzzles, from floor to face, whether or not you are expecting it. I suspect I would find a St Bernard doing that less adorable.
posted by Sparx at 8:44 PM on October 4, 2023 [9 favorites]
Jesus H, I knew the comments would be a mess when I saw we broke 100 comments on a dogs vs. cats article. Dogs are for narcissists, really?
I’m a dog person (for whatever that means*) and, somehow, the only one out of my social circle. Photos of my dogs get mildly-remarked on in group chats whereas the cats get all the love. The internet has embraced Caturday. It decided the Shiba Inu is just cat-enough to get a pass. Thanks to the argumentative framing of the original article, most of these comments are about cats. It really is a silly thing to be bitter about, but that’s where I am, I guess!
*People love to ascribe personality traits to Cat People and Dog People that doesn’t really happen with people who decide on other animals for pets, and it is so bizarre. It hits too close to horoscopes and MBTI for me, and for once it would be nice to read an article about dogs that didn’t drag our societal pastime of DOGS VS CATS into every conversation about them.
posted by lesser weasel at 9:13 PM on October 4, 2023 [8 favorites]
I’m a dog person (for whatever that means*) and, somehow, the only one out of my social circle. Photos of my dogs get mildly-remarked on in group chats whereas the cats get all the love. The internet has embraced Caturday. It decided the Shiba Inu is just cat-enough to get a pass. Thanks to the argumentative framing of the original article, most of these comments are about cats. It really is a silly thing to be bitter about, but that’s where I am, I guess!
*People love to ascribe personality traits to Cat People and Dog People that doesn’t really happen with people who decide on other animals for pets, and it is so bizarre. It hits too close to horoscopes and MBTI for me, and for once it would be nice to read an article about dogs that didn’t drag our societal pastime of DOGS VS CATS into every conversation about them.
posted by lesser weasel at 9:13 PM on October 4, 2023 [8 favorites]
Would love to ferret out more info about non-cat, non-dog pets, lesser weasel.
posted by Rumple at 10:06 PM on October 4, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by Rumple at 10:06 PM on October 4, 2023 [7 favorites]
I was woken up early on my birthday by my children, who told me excitedly that the cat had vomited all over the kitchen and I needed to clean it up.
The thought that perhaps if I waited a couple of minutes the Labrador would have got in there and dealt with the problem all by himself--the circle of life--did cross my mind but I did not go with it.
posted by Hogshead at 5:09 AM on October 5, 2023 [5 favorites]
The thought that perhaps if I waited a couple of minutes the Labrador would have got in there and dealt with the problem all by himself--the circle of life--did cross my mind but I did not go with it.
posted by Hogshead at 5:09 AM on October 5, 2023 [5 favorites]
As a cat person, I have nothing against dogs, and some breeds - like sheepdogs or those woolly poodle crosses - are cute, cuddly and intelligent, which is what I like about cats.
My main issue with dogs is... they're huge! Large dogs are considerably stronger & heavier than me, and taller too, if they stand on their hind legs. Even their friendly behaviors (barking) put me on edge. If one got upset with me I'd be lucky to only lose a few limbs.
posted by wandering zinnia at 6:14 AM on October 5, 2023
My main issue with dogs is... they're huge! Large dogs are considerably stronger & heavier than me, and taller too, if they stand on their hind legs. Even their friendly behaviors (barking) put me on edge. If one got upset with me I'd be lucky to only lose a few limbs.
posted by wandering zinnia at 6:14 AM on October 5, 2023
Any cat people saying dogs stink: when I visit your houses, I know you have a cat when I step thru the door, even if your cat is hiding under a bed somewhere. I know people have dogs when the dogs come to greet me. Last time we were house-hunting, we said no to a house without even looking past the living room, because we didn't want to spend the first six months living there trying to get rid of the cat pee stench. Your cats reek. And yet, I do not hate them like you claim, and will pet them happily, remarking on their handsome faces and floofy tails. We have been asked to lock our friendly, calm, not stinky dogs up before otherwise reasonable people will even enter the house. Which we do, and then we never invite them back.
posted by donnagirl at 7:58 AM on October 5, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by donnagirl at 7:58 AM on October 5, 2023 [5 favorites]
Also, have y'all smelled people?
posted by phunniemee at 8:25 AM on October 5, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by phunniemee at 8:25 AM on October 5, 2023 [6 favorites]
We have been asked to lock our friendly, calm, not stinky dogs up before otherwise reasonable people will even enter the house. Which we do, and then we never invite them back.
Have you considered that otherwise reasonable people might have had traumatic experiences with dogs and aren't comfortable around them at all, regardless of how nice you say yours are?
posted by Ferreous at 8:39 AM on October 5, 2023 [5 favorites]
Have you considered that otherwise reasonable people might have had traumatic experiences with dogs and aren't comfortable around them at all, regardless of how nice you say yours are?
posted by Ferreous at 8:39 AM on October 5, 2023 [5 favorites]
Also, have y'all smelled people?
I won't even go into a house that has people in it.
posted by mittens at 8:53 AM on October 5, 2023 [12 favorites]
I won't even go into a house that has people in it.
posted by mittens at 8:53 AM on October 5, 2023 [12 favorites]
and who are emotionally mature enough to not require your constant validation.
So I think this kind of gets at the heart of why I both love dogs and also am somewhat skeptical of takes like this. Because honestly, dogs don't seem needier than humans, they're just more up front about it. When they want you to love them, they come right up to you to get the love, rather than seething and moping and wishing good things would happen. And so when people say "I don't like dogs because they're needy", I wonder how they interact with the humans in their life, who are often equally needy, just quieter about it.
Also yes, cat litter boxes are far, far stinkier than clean dogs, who poop and pee outside. I have owned both cats and dogs; I will never own a cat again by my own choice.
posted by corb at 10:06 AM on October 5, 2023 [3 favorites]
So I think this kind of gets at the heart of why I both love dogs and also am somewhat skeptical of takes like this. Because honestly, dogs don't seem needier than humans, they're just more up front about it. When they want you to love them, they come right up to you to get the love, rather than seething and moping and wishing good things would happen. And so when people say "I don't like dogs because they're needy", I wonder how they interact with the humans in their life, who are often equally needy, just quieter about it.
Also yes, cat litter boxes are far, far stinkier than clean dogs, who poop and pee outside. I have owned both cats and dogs; I will never own a cat again by my own choice.
posted by corb at 10:06 AM on October 5, 2023 [3 favorites]
Well I'm a rat person these days, so...
Actually I'm an animal person. All animals, even humans, although some humans really are annoying.
posted by Zumbador at 10:15 AM on October 5, 2023 [7 favorites]
Actually I'm an animal person. All animals, even humans, although some humans really are annoying.
posted by Zumbador at 10:15 AM on October 5, 2023 [7 favorites]
I read an article once (can't find it, sorry) positing that dogs are masculine-coded and cats are feminine-coded, and therefore many criticisms you see about cats and cat people are based in misogyny. I can't stop thinking about that article every time a see someone complaining about cats or their owners.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 10:16 AM on October 5, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 10:16 AM on October 5, 2023 [4 favorites]
Cat boxes don't stink if you clean them every day and sometimes twice.
These kinds of "this stinks this doesn't" are part of what I hate about this "divide."
Love your animals and leave other people's out of it.
posted by tiny frying pan at 10:26 AM on October 5, 2023 [3 favorites]
These kinds of "this stinks this doesn't" are part of what I hate about this "divide."
Love your animals and leave other people's out of it.
posted by tiny frying pan at 10:26 AM on October 5, 2023 [3 favorites]
My last dog had separation anxiety (from before we got her) and would pee on our bed almost every day when we were about to leave for work. So it's been only cats since then.
I like dogs just fine, and could probably find a dog I liked as much as my cats. But for me, it's very simple: dogs require you to be home at least once every 6-8 hours. If I want to go out of town for the weekend, I can leave an extra bowl of food and water for my cats and they will be just fine. If I had a dog, I would have to either arrange for someone to come to my house and deal with the dog regularly, or I'd have to pay for a kennel. That's just enough of a hassle to sway the balance for me.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 11:02 AM on October 5, 2023 [5 favorites]
I like dogs just fine, and could probably find a dog I liked as much as my cats. But for me, it's very simple: dogs require you to be home at least once every 6-8 hours. If I want to go out of town for the weekend, I can leave an extra bowl of food and water for my cats and they will be just fine. If I had a dog, I would have to either arrange for someone to come to my house and deal with the dog regularly, or I'd have to pay for a kennel. That's just enough of a hassle to sway the balance for me.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 11:02 AM on October 5, 2023 [5 favorites]
Have you considered that otherwise reasonable people might have had traumatic experiences with dogs and aren't comfortable around them at all, regardless of how nice you say yours are?
I certainly have considered it, which is why we tell people we have two big, friendly dogs when we invite them over. I feel like that's the negotiation/opt out point, not when you're standing on the porch. I'm not insisting people love my dogs because I believe they're nice. I'm giving ample notice that there are dogs, you can decide for yourself what that means. Aside from the "I refuse to come in while members of your family who live here are free to roam" folks, the consensus is that our dogs are nice.
Like I said, I don't have cats, but I like other people's cats. Some people with cats do not mind the cats being on kitchen counters and dining tables. I mind. If you are one of those people and you invite me to dinner, I'm gonna decline, not insist you change how you and your pets live.
posted by donnagirl at 12:14 PM on October 5, 2023
I certainly have considered it, which is why we tell people we have two big, friendly dogs when we invite them over. I feel like that's the negotiation/opt out point, not when you're standing on the porch. I'm not insisting people love my dogs because I believe they're nice. I'm giving ample notice that there are dogs, you can decide for yourself what that means. Aside from the "I refuse to come in while members of your family who live here are free to roam" folks, the consensus is that our dogs are nice.
Like I said, I don't have cats, but I like other people's cats. Some people with cats do not mind the cats being on kitchen counters and dining tables. I mind. If you are one of those people and you invite me to dinner, I'm gonna decline, not insist you change how you and your pets live.
posted by donnagirl at 12:14 PM on October 5, 2023
My bias is against people who just have no pets, an offense right up there with no books or interest in music.
We have several cats and one confused chihuahua. All are demanding of attention and a fair amount of work. We've lost one dog and two cats in the last two years, which has stricken my chronically depressed spouse HARD. Baring the unforeseen, we should be years away from losing another animal. Hopefully we will be in a state with legal gummies and my beloved can be in a better state.
I have had one truly great dog and a few great cats. There are two huge tuxedo male cats in this house who think I am the greatest thing in the world and their love is a heady experience. The chihuahua likes me but she loves my wife beyond all reason. I can't pick between either species and wouldn't want to.
If we want a real MeFi bruhaha, we should be talking about WaPo's survey on whether you should rinse off dishes before loading them into the dishwasher.
posted by Ber at 12:46 PM on October 5, 2023 [3 favorites]
We have several cats and one confused chihuahua. All are demanding of attention and a fair amount of work. We've lost one dog and two cats in the last two years, which has stricken my chronically depressed spouse HARD. Baring the unforeseen, we should be years away from losing another animal. Hopefully we will be in a state with legal gummies and my beloved can be in a better state.
I have had one truly great dog and a few great cats. There are two huge tuxedo male cats in this house who think I am the greatest thing in the world and their love is a heady experience. The chihuahua likes me but she loves my wife beyond all reason. I can't pick between either species and wouldn't want to.
If we want a real MeFi bruhaha, we should be talking about WaPo's survey on whether you should rinse off dishes before loading them into the dishwasher.
posted by Ber at 12:46 PM on October 5, 2023 [3 favorites]
I won't even go into a house that has people in it.
This house has people in it.
posted by grumpybear69 at 12:52 PM on October 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
This house has people in it.
posted by grumpybear69 at 12:52 PM on October 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
I love both dogs and cats. I'm definitely not a people person.
posted by mike3k at 12:59 PM on October 5, 2023
posted by mike3k at 12:59 PM on October 5, 2023
Yeah no. I heard my neighbor when she got home today, exclaim, HI BABY! to her cat upstairs, who comes to greet her, same as mine do. Many cat people are just as excited to see, interact, and cuddle and spend time with their cat and I'm sick of people acting like having a cat means you barely see it or care about it.
Is that how it is supposed to work? My cat is a troll and she demands payment whenever I enter the apartment. Or whenever spend a sufficient amount of time inside. Or whenever I sleep for more than 7 hours. I pay more tax under Big Cat than if I lived in Social Democratic paradise!
posted by srboisvert at 2:24 PM on October 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
Is that how it is supposed to work? My cat is a troll and she demands payment whenever I enter the apartment. Or whenever spend a sufficient amount of time inside. Or whenever I sleep for more than 7 hours. I pay more tax under Big Cat than if I lived in Social Democratic paradise!
posted by srboisvert at 2:24 PM on October 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
Any topic, in any group of people, in a nutshell:
People who happen to really like X: Y is awful, X is demonstrably better!
People who happen to really like Y: X is terrible, Y is clearly superior!
People who happen to like both X and Y: Is this argument necessary?
There, the internet can now be declared Over.
Full disclosure: I like Y but I don't go on about it
posted by Greg_Ace at 3:14 PM on October 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
People who happen to really like X: Y is awful, X is demonstrably better!
People who happen to really like Y: X is terrible, Y is clearly superior!
People who happen to like both X and Y: Is this argument necessary?
There, the internet can now be declared Over.
Full disclosure: I like Y but I don't go on about it
posted by Greg_Ace at 3:14 PM on October 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
I love animals and this whole cat versus dog thing is dumber than the GenX vs. Millenial debate. A pox on the linked article !
I feel like just saying “well I’m a cat/dog person “ is some kind of weird caveman sports team competitive baloney. I currently have two cats because that’s where I am right now but, what, I don’t like dogs? If you don’t like both you’re not an animal person, so there!
Dogs are good. Cats are good.
By the way, one of my cats gets in the window and deep-growls at delivery people who come to the door, so maybe she’s “species-questioning”. Let your freak flag fly, Chi-Chan!
posted by caviar2d2 at 3:23 PM on October 5, 2023 [6 favorites]
I feel like just saying “well I’m a cat/dog person “ is some kind of weird caveman sports team competitive baloney. I currently have two cats because that’s where I am right now but, what, I don’t like dogs? If you don’t like both you’re not an animal person, so there!
Dogs are good. Cats are good.
By the way, one of my cats gets in the window and deep-growls at delivery people who come to the door, so maybe she’s “species-questioning”. Let your freak flag fly, Chi-Chan!
posted by caviar2d2 at 3:23 PM on October 5, 2023 [6 favorites]
You want cat tax? I've got your cat tax. Maxwell is more codependent than any dog. Here he is in the sink while I'm either trying to shave or brush my teeth. Mind you, we're all home most of the time, so he's not wanting for attention, and he hates the smell of both shaving cream and toothpaste.
posted by mollweide at 5:51 PM on October 5, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by mollweide at 5:51 PM on October 5, 2023 [6 favorites]
Both sides have the most nonsense stereotypes about the animal they dislike (and their owners). Dogs are lovely. Cats are lovely. Preferring one over the other doesn't say anything about your personality or morals. My God, let's give it a rest.
I used to be a strictly dog person growing up because the only cats I knew were my friend's four cats who just lurked in random corners of her house and would hiss and swipe at you if you tried to get near. They barely seemed to tolerate even my friend. I would think, what's the point of even having a cat? They seem to just...lie around doing nothing all day. You can't pet or cuddle them. You can't play with them. Zero interactions outside of mealtimes. Zero personality other than "cat." Horrible litter box cat piss smell. Dogs just seemed so much more intelligent and lively and interesting.
And then I met more cats and realized they're all different and have unique personalities and charm and so on. After my fox terrier passed away, I had a beautiful, mischievous tabby cat who was a lot of fun. I'd kill to have either a dog or a cat right now, but unfortunately so many landlords hate pets.
posted by adso at 6:52 PM on October 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
I used to be a strictly dog person growing up because the only cats I knew were my friend's four cats who just lurked in random corners of her house and would hiss and swipe at you if you tried to get near. They barely seemed to tolerate even my friend. I would think, what's the point of even having a cat? They seem to just...lie around doing nothing all day. You can't pet or cuddle them. You can't play with them. Zero interactions outside of mealtimes. Zero personality other than "cat." Horrible litter box cat piss smell. Dogs just seemed so much more intelligent and lively and interesting.
And then I met more cats and realized they're all different and have unique personalities and charm and so on. After my fox terrier passed away, I had a beautiful, mischievous tabby cat who was a lot of fun. I'd kill to have either a dog or a cat right now, but unfortunately so many landlords hate pets.
posted by adso at 6:52 PM on October 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
Would love to ferret out more info about non-cat, non-dog pets, lesser weasel.
Thanks to landlord rules I can’t have either, but what I can have is a fish tank. I currently have a little plakat betta named Argo, who is black with neon blue constellations on his side and a very energetic personality. Here’s a showcase video from the fish store I bought him from!
Like the other bettas I’ve had so far, he goes absolutely bonkers when he sees me. Full-on “drop everything and rush to the other side of the tank.” He has a designated food corner where I, the God of Food Delivery, drop in pellets on most days and bloodworms on Bloodworm Sunday. (They’re fatty treats.) I walk past the tank? Bonkers. I stand in front of it? Yes hello, follow me please, follow me to the food corner, why are you not giving me food right this instant, HELLO.
He loves to play around the water filter because it buffets him around, and sleep among the broad leaves of a plant, and try to be big and imposing to his nerite snail roommates. I don’t know if this makes me a fish person now, and what personality traits I supposedly have, but it is very fun to have a little guy that greets me in the morning and when I get home from work. (He just has to see me, first.)
posted by lesser weasel at 8:02 PM on October 5, 2023 [9 favorites]
Thanks to landlord rules I can’t have either, but what I can have is a fish tank. I currently have a little plakat betta named Argo, who is black with neon blue constellations on his side and a very energetic personality. Here’s a showcase video from the fish store I bought him from!
Like the other bettas I’ve had so far, he goes absolutely bonkers when he sees me. Full-on “drop everything and rush to the other side of the tank.” He has a designated food corner where I, the God of Food Delivery, drop in pellets on most days and bloodworms on Bloodworm Sunday. (They’re fatty treats.) I walk past the tank? Bonkers. I stand in front of it? Yes hello, follow me please, follow me to the food corner, why are you not giving me food right this instant, HELLO.
He loves to play around the water filter because it buffets him around, and sleep among the broad leaves of a plant, and try to be big and imposing to his nerite snail roommates. I don’t know if this makes me a fish person now, and what personality traits I supposedly have, but it is very fun to have a little guy that greets me in the morning and when I get home from work. (He just has to see me, first.)
posted by lesser weasel at 8:02 PM on October 5, 2023 [9 favorites]
I am so fed up with this manufactured controversy. And I'm not saying this as someone who likes both cats and dogs equally: I am very firmly a cat person and always have been. This is a preference that I have, I know that it's my preference, and I don't feel the need to validate it by "proving" that people who share my preference are objectively superior and those who have a different preference are wrong and also terrible.
I don't prefer cats because [long checklist of logistical issues and armchair psychology]; I just really love them. I think they're cute, even the hairless goblins. I have a visceral positive emotional reaction when I see a cat. I don't know why; it's just how I'm wired. It's the same reason that 1) I like men and 2) I don't want kids (and I don't feel the need to denigrate other people's sexual preferences or child-having status either).
That doesn't mean I hate dogs; I'm just not a dog person and prefer to enjoy them from a distance. I have certainly met some dogs that I thought were particularly cute -- I just generally don't find them as delightful as cats.
I like and appreciate all pets, even if they're not my favourite flavour, and am instantly suspicious of any person who expresses a strong dislike of any pet animal (people who have had traumatic experiences aside).
posted by confluency at 3:22 AM on October 6, 2023 [4 favorites]
I don't prefer cats because [long checklist of logistical issues and armchair psychology]; I just really love them. I think they're cute, even the hairless goblins. I have a visceral positive emotional reaction when I see a cat. I don't know why; it's just how I'm wired. It's the same reason that 1) I like men and 2) I don't want kids (and I don't feel the need to denigrate other people's sexual preferences or child-having status either).
That doesn't mean I hate dogs; I'm just not a dog person and prefer to enjoy them from a distance. I have certainly met some dogs that I thought were particularly cute -- I just generally don't find them as delightful as cats.
I like and appreciate all pets, even if they're not my favourite flavour, and am instantly suspicious of any person who expresses a strong dislike of any pet animal (people who have had traumatic experiences aside).
posted by confluency at 3:22 AM on October 6, 2023 [4 favorites]
My bias is against people who just have no pets, an offense right up there with no books or interest in music.
....er....pets are a sizeable commitment of both time and money (at least if you want to be a responsible person), and not everyone has the wherewithal to expend that, even if they do fervently like animals.
If someone has enough self-awareness to know that "I love animals but I wouldn't be able to properly care for a pet, so I shouldn't have one", isn't that a GOOD thing? Why shun them for this?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:36 AM on October 6, 2023 [6 favorites]
....er....pets are a sizeable commitment of both time and money (at least if you want to be a responsible person), and not everyone has the wherewithal to expend that, even if they do fervently like animals.
If someone has enough self-awareness to know that "I love animals but I wouldn't be able to properly care for a pet, so I shouldn't have one", isn't that a GOOD thing? Why shun them for this?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:36 AM on October 6, 2023 [6 favorites]
I'm definitely in the camp that thinks the way cats are associated with women in American culture has a lot to do with why there's so much vitriol directed at cats.
As a rule, people who prefer cats tend not to be vitriolic about dogs and may like dogs just fine.
But there's a significant subset of dog lovers who fucking HATE cats and anyone who likes cats. And I don't think that an really be explained by cats themselves. It really does seem to be tied into a lot of the toxic masculinity shit.
Like the lovely person in the giant monster truck I saw this morning with a bumper sticker that says "lost your cat? Try looking under my tires!"
Heck, Kippling included it in his Cat Who Walks By Himself. The woman was cool with the cat and the dog, but the man hated the cat because machismo.
posted by sotonohito at 7:43 AM on October 6, 2023 [7 favorites]
As a rule, people who prefer cats tend not to be vitriolic about dogs and may like dogs just fine.
But there's a significant subset of dog lovers who fucking HATE cats and anyone who likes cats. And I don't think that an really be explained by cats themselves. It really does seem to be tied into a lot of the toxic masculinity shit.
Like the lovely person in the giant monster truck I saw this morning with a bumper sticker that says "lost your cat? Try looking under my tires!"
Heck, Kippling included it in his Cat Who Walks By Himself. The woman was cool with the cat and the dog, but the man hated the cat because machismo.
posted by sotonohito at 7:43 AM on October 6, 2023 [7 favorites]
Eh, I have run into plenty of people who prefer cats who get vitriolic about dogs, too. Actually, especially people who are specifically vitriolic about small versus large dogs--which are also associated with women. You see that doubly with small lapdogs versus terriers, too, although terriers come in for it no matter how aggressively their partisans point out how tough and brave terriers are. Part of the problem is that people who keep lapdogs are a little less likely to treat them like dogs, in my experience, than people who keep cats--I would guess because dogs are easier to convince to put up with a lot of things in the short term that are quite bad for them in the long term than cats are.
I think it's easy for everyone to underestimate how many people in "their" camp are nasty to people in "other" camps, and to overestimate how many people in "other" camps are nasty to people in their own.
Would love to ferret out more info about non-cat, non-dog pets, lesser weasel.
I don't currently keep any myself, but I am always happy to get out and shill for Big Pet Rat: they live much shorter periods of time than cats and dogs, making them better if your life is unpredictable; they eat cheap lab block and can delightedly snack on pretty much anything you can; they are friendly, trainable, and develop genuine affection for and relationship with their humans, and you can very easily pick whether you want big cuddle potatoes (boys) or busy little training aficionados (girls) right off the bat. They have complex and interesting social dynamics, too. I really enjoy rats; I'm just more than busy enough with the cats and dogs at the moment. As a bonus, landlords often don't care much about "caged pets" like rats or ferrets (also a popular mammalian option for folks who like interactive pets in apartments).
I do badly want to get chickens, which a) contribute eggs to the household budget, b) eat your unwanted kitchen scraps, c) compost all your garden waste and turn it into really nice gardening soil, and d) are tons of fun to watch marching around busily in the garden. I've been strategically planning a chicken incursion for about two or three years now and think I've settled on an appropriate coop design; we'll see whether and when I get to actually kick that project off and running. We gotta settle on the garden layout first, I think.
One thing I notice about people with pets that are often small or eaten is that people get very aggressive and graphic about the pets being eaten, and very dismissive about the distress of the people keeping the pets. I have seen people get really aggressive about this to people with chickens when other animals break into their fencing, as well as quite a few people doing this to rabbit and bird fanciers more generally (and to a somewhat lesser extent, also cats). It's not okay and it's a real dick move, no matter what your favorite species is.
posted by sciatrix at 8:16 AM on October 6, 2023 [6 favorites]
I think it's easy for everyone to underestimate how many people in "their" camp are nasty to people in "other" camps, and to overestimate how many people in "other" camps are nasty to people in their own.
Would love to ferret out more info about non-cat, non-dog pets, lesser weasel.
I don't currently keep any myself, but I am always happy to get out and shill for Big Pet Rat: they live much shorter periods of time than cats and dogs, making them better if your life is unpredictable; they eat cheap lab block and can delightedly snack on pretty much anything you can; they are friendly, trainable, and develop genuine affection for and relationship with their humans, and you can very easily pick whether you want big cuddle potatoes (boys) or busy little training aficionados (girls) right off the bat. They have complex and interesting social dynamics, too. I really enjoy rats; I'm just more than busy enough with the cats and dogs at the moment. As a bonus, landlords often don't care much about "caged pets" like rats or ferrets (also a popular mammalian option for folks who like interactive pets in apartments).
I do badly want to get chickens, which a) contribute eggs to the household budget, b) eat your unwanted kitchen scraps, c) compost all your garden waste and turn it into really nice gardening soil, and d) are tons of fun to watch marching around busily in the garden. I've been strategically planning a chicken incursion for about two or three years now and think I've settled on an appropriate coop design; we'll see whether and when I get to actually kick that project off and running. We gotta settle on the garden layout first, I think.
One thing I notice about people with pets that are often small or eaten is that people get very aggressive and graphic about the pets being eaten, and very dismissive about the distress of the people keeping the pets. I have seen people get really aggressive about this to people with chickens when other animals break into their fencing, as well as quite a few people doing this to rabbit and bird fanciers more generally (and to a somewhat lesser extent, also cats). It's not okay and it's a real dick move, no matter what your favorite species is.
posted by sciatrix at 8:16 AM on October 6, 2023 [6 favorites]
hate to badger you, sciatrix, but you must(elid) have intentionally ignored the pun there!
posted by sagc at 8:19 AM on October 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by sagc at 8:19 AM on October 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
omg sciatrix that is awful. our lovely neighbors had one of their adorable chooks taken by a possum (which we heard) we were so upset and gave them our condolences. and you know, I do love the chickens, they are so cute and EGGS!! but they kick a ton of dirt into our driveway (and on to our car) which is a PITA but I could not imagine being happy at one of them being hurt or killed. (especially Fluffy their Silkie. oh man oh man she is so cute, and SO.DUMB.)
posted by supermedusa at 8:29 AM on October 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by supermedusa at 8:29 AM on October 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
My bias is against people who just have no pets, an offense right up there with no books or interest in music.
People are like this about people who have no children, too. Not procreating or owning an animal might not be something people do deliberately just to try to get more resentment from the likes of you.
Dogs are supposed to live with people the way people used to live, not the way most people live, now. Cats are not supposed to live inside all the time and therefore do not make good pets where they're an invasive species.
posted by Don Pepino at 10:17 AM on October 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
People are like this about people who have no children, too. Not procreating or owning an animal might not be something people do deliberately just to try to get more resentment from the likes of you.
Dogs are supposed to live with people the way people used to live, not the way most people live, now. Cats are not supposed to live inside all the time and therefore do not make good pets where they're an invasive species.
posted by Don Pepino at 10:17 AM on October 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
(I agree about rats and chickens being good pets, though, and I think old dogs and cats who are safely through their salad days and content to observe the outside through windows would make great companions.)
posted by Don Pepino at 10:20 AM on October 6, 2023
posted by Don Pepino at 10:20 AM on October 6, 2023
Dogs are supposed to live with people the way people used to live, not the way most people live, now. Cats are not supposed to live inside all the time and therefore do not make good pets where they're an invasive species.
I'm super confused about this...how is dog ownership different now vs...when, exactly?
If you want your cats to live a long life on average, they stay inside. Begging to not turn this into a cat goes outside vs. Inside debate cause we don't need that. "Not supposed to live inside..." says who?
posted by tiny frying pan at 10:50 AM on October 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
I'm super confused about this...how is dog ownership different now vs...when, exactly?
If you want your cats to live a long life on average, they stay inside. Begging to not turn this into a cat goes outside vs. Inside debate cause we don't need that. "Not supposed to live inside..." says who?
posted by tiny frying pan at 10:50 AM on October 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
I'm super confused about this...how is dog ownership different now vs...when, exactly?
Humans used to be 90% farmers. Before that, hunters and gatherers.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 10:53 AM on October 6, 2023
Humans used to be 90% farmers. Before that, hunters and gatherers.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 10:53 AM on October 6, 2023
Right.....so was it a comment on dogs working? Or that humans used to be home a lot. I agree dogs probably get lonely these days...
posted by tiny frying pan at 10:54 AM on October 6, 2023
posted by tiny frying pan at 10:54 AM on October 6, 2023
I'm just glad someone can acknowledge the nuance "where they're an invasive species" when bringing up the indoor/outdoor cat thing.
posted by polytope subirb enby-of-piano-dice at 10:55 AM on October 6, 2023
posted by polytope subirb enby-of-piano-dice at 10:55 AM on October 6, 2023
How on earth is that different from saying humans aren't supposed to be living the lives that we're living because we used to hunt and gather. Living things adapt? ??..?
Also dogs and cats have, like, healthcare now?
And pillows? ???
posted by phunniemee at 10:57 AM on October 6, 2023 [3 favorites]
Also dogs and cats have, like, healthcare now?
And pillows? ???
posted by phunniemee at 10:57 AM on October 6, 2023 [3 favorites]
Pillows and healthcare are an upgrade for us all!
Invasive species isn't my concern at all...it's that my kitties are happy indoors and won't get killed outside. Win! Win!
I don't like the "cats aren't supposed to live inside." That has never made sense, unless you had ferals on a farm or something, maybe that was the idea? and definitely doesn't apply nowadays.
posted by tiny frying pan at 11:00 AM on October 6, 2023 [5 favorites]
Invasive species isn't my concern at all...it's that my kitties are happy indoors and won't get killed outside. Win! Win!
I don't like the "cats aren't supposed to live inside." That has never made sense, unless you had ferals on a farm or something, maybe that was the idea? and definitely doesn't apply nowadays.
posted by tiny frying pan at 11:00 AM on October 6, 2023 [5 favorites]
(Rats)
whether you want big cuddle potatoes (boys) or busy little training aficionados (girls)
Accurate! I have one earnest cuddle potato (Nicodemus), two serious busy girls, (Frankie & Saffy), and one intrepid explorer (Jasper). My sweet 3 year old Maurice died a few days ago. He was like the Dude from the Big Lebowski reincarnated as a rat.
Towards the end I had to bathe him every day. He loved it. Totally relaxed in the warm water, skinny old body floating free, chin propped on my finger, bruxing quietly (rat equivalent of purring).
One of the disconcerting thing about having rats as pets is if you search on the Internet for information about how to look after them, the first few results are instructions on how to kill them.
posted by Zumbador at 11:09 AM on October 6, 2023 [6 favorites]
whether you want big cuddle potatoes (boys) or busy little training aficionados (girls)
Accurate! I have one earnest cuddle potato (Nicodemus), two serious busy girls, (Frankie & Saffy), and one intrepid explorer (Jasper). My sweet 3 year old Maurice died a few days ago. He was like the Dude from the Big Lebowski reincarnated as a rat.
Towards the end I had to bathe him every day. He loved it. Totally relaxed in the warm water, skinny old body floating free, chin propped on my finger, bruxing quietly (rat equivalent of purring).
One of the disconcerting thing about having rats as pets is if you search on the Internet for information about how to look after them, the first few results are instructions on how to kill them.
posted by Zumbador at 11:09 AM on October 6, 2023 [6 favorites]
Rat tax? :) I understand if it's hard to share images though, I rarely do cause it's a pain.
I'm sorry for your loss! Rats are sweeties.
posted by tiny frying pan at 11:16 AM on October 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
I'm sorry for your loss! Rats are sweeties.
posted by tiny frying pan at 11:16 AM on October 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
Sorry for your loss Zumbador, ratties make excellent pets.
My rescue mix got to try the "dog who belongs to himself" life when some asshole abandoned him, and now he's extremely careful to never leave our yard unless he's on a leash, so I think he'd decline the offer to live his best free range paleo life, thanks. (reused dog tax, please don't report me if this is tax fraud)
posted by the primroses were over at 11:28 AM on October 6, 2023 [7 favorites]
My rescue mix got to try the "dog who belongs to himself" life when some asshole abandoned him, and now he's extremely careful to never leave our yard unless he's on a leash, so I think he'd decline the offer to live his best free range paleo life, thanks. (reused dog tax, please don't report me if this is tax fraud)
posted by the primroses were over at 11:28 AM on October 6, 2023 [7 favorites]
If I didn't/couldn't have cats, I would totally have rats instead. Amazing animals.
posted by tomsk at 11:32 AM on October 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by tomsk at 11:32 AM on October 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
hate to badger you, sciatrix, but you must(elid) have intentionally ignored the pun there!
...*laughing, facepalm* Nope, I missed that one entirely, or at least I figured it was aimed at least weasel!
I find that both dogs and cats are fine indoor companions if they have other outlets for play, socializing, and exercising, but that requires a lot more effort and attention than I think some people are willing to invest. (Personally, I'd prefer simply not keeping animals if you're not going to make an effort to engage with it as a living creature, which modern machines allow us to do without issue.)
Not going to lie, though: for me, part of the appeal of chickens is not having to personally meet a ton of their emotional needs beyond making sure they have a few appropriate flockmates and aren't being beaten up by bullies. I kind of like not being the center of a living creature's universe for a change, especially given the current state of my menagerie. I have a puppy just shy of a year old right now, and she takes an enormous amount of care and work to get the well-behaved, adult, mature dog I can see odd flashes of. That's enough for a while, I think.
posted by sciatrix at 11:40 AM on October 6, 2023
...*laughing, facepalm* Nope, I missed that one entirely, or at least I figured it was aimed at least weasel!
I find that both dogs and cats are fine indoor companions if they have other outlets for play, socializing, and exercising, but that requires a lot more effort and attention than I think some people are willing to invest. (Personally, I'd prefer simply not keeping animals if you're not going to make an effort to engage with it as a living creature, which modern machines allow us to do without issue.)
Not going to lie, though: for me, part of the appeal of chickens is not having to personally meet a ton of their emotional needs beyond making sure they have a few appropriate flockmates and aren't being beaten up by bullies. I kind of like not being the center of a living creature's universe for a change, especially given the current state of my menagerie. I have a puppy just shy of a year old right now, and she takes an enormous amount of care and work to get the well-behaved, adult, mature dog I can see odd flashes of. That's enough for a while, I think.
posted by sciatrix at 11:40 AM on October 6, 2023
Ok lets see if I can get some rat tax working.
Maurice getting a liquid supper
Saffy demanding supper
The time I put carrot juice in their water bottle
posted by Zumbador at 12:54 PM on October 6, 2023 [10 favorites]
Maurice getting a liquid supper
Saffy demanding supper
The time I put carrot juice in their water bottle
posted by Zumbador at 12:54 PM on October 6, 2023 [10 favorites]
Yessssss!!!!
posted by tiny frying pan at 1:09 PM on October 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by tiny frying pan at 1:09 PM on October 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
My rescue mix got to try the "dog who belongs to himself" life when some asshole abandoned him, and now he's extremely careful to never leave our yard unless he's on a leash, so I think he'd decline the offer to live his best free range paleo life, thanks.
Ours is the same. Based on the condition he was in when someone caught him and got him to a shelter, he'd been living rough for a fair while, and now that he has an indoor home and regular meals and people to snuggle with, he is very, very careful to not screw up a good situation by wandering off.
Where we lived when I was a kid, dogs were mostly allowed to run around free during the day (but were expected to return to the yard at night), or were chained in the yard 24/7. Both types of dogs would bite you if they could. It was just what was considered normal in that place at that time. I spent the first 20+ years of my life disliking dogs because of those negative interactions. It was only later, when I had the chance to spend time with well-socialized, non-biting dogs, that I discovered that they are just as much fun to hang out with as cats are. Dogs are obviously different than cats, but both are great to have in the household.
posted by Dip Flash at 8:56 PM on October 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
Ours is the same. Based on the condition he was in when someone caught him and got him to a shelter, he'd been living rough for a fair while, and now that he has an indoor home and regular meals and people to snuggle with, he is very, very careful to not screw up a good situation by wandering off.
Where we lived when I was a kid, dogs were mostly allowed to run around free during the day (but were expected to return to the yard at night), or were chained in the yard 24/7. Both types of dogs would bite you if they could. It was just what was considered normal in that place at that time. I spent the first 20+ years of my life disliking dogs because of those negative interactions. It was only later, when I had the chance to spend time with well-socialized, non-biting dogs, that I discovered that they are just as much fun to hang out with as cats are. Dogs are obviously different than cats, but both are great to have in the household.
posted by Dip Flash at 8:56 PM on October 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
I have a dog. I have had cats and like them quite well, but have not had reliably dog-friendly cats and cat-safe dogs. My dog provides mental health benefits of being reliably snuggly, affectionate, and needing to go outside. If I won the lottery, I would build a sustainable house with a barn and have chickens, horses, cats, and dogs. Maybe goats. I guess I'm non-binary regarding animals.
The people I know who are not cat people and not dog people are mostly not pet people, which is, I think, the real divide.
mauled by a vicious dog in their childhood That's horrifying. My son was attacked at age 7 by a big dog who jumped out of a parked vehicle, but he loves dogs anyway.
Cat people generally have better memes and cartoons, esp. since George Booth died.
posted by theora55 at 9:51 AM on October 8, 2023
The people I know who are not cat people and not dog people are mostly not pet people, which is, I think, the real divide.
mauled by a vicious dog in their childhood That's horrifying. My son was attacked at age 7 by a big dog who jumped out of a parked vehicle, but he loves dogs anyway.
Cat people generally have better memes and cartoons, esp. since George Booth died.
posted by theora55 at 9:51 AM on October 8, 2023
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