Most humans want or need pets. Having a pet has all kinds of wonderful benefits whether you have a cat, dog, bird, reptile, or any other type of animal. The companionship alone can help us get through the best and the worst of times in our lives. There has always been huge debates about which is better; a cat or a dog. There is support on both sides of the fence of course. Some people are more cat people than dog people and visa versa.
We have listed 10 reasons for each below. Here at BarkAndSqueak.com we have both dogs and cats. We believe they both have their place in a loving household. While this article only has ten reasons each, there are hundreds more reasons why these two pets are fantastic.
Reason # 1
A cat reminds you of nature.
Since a cat retains more of its natural instincts in captivity, you will gain a great appreciation of nature from having one in your home. You may not appreciate the fact that your cat hunts rodents and spiders, but your cat’s whole attitude and presence will bring you a little bit closer to nature.
Car trips with dogs are more fun
A car ride with a cat that isn’t caged is generally a nightmare. They crawl all over everything and even get in your face while you are driving. Generally speaking, most canines just don’t do that. They are content in the seat next to you or behind you and are happy to hang their head out the window while you are speeding along. They just love being with you and being part of any part of your life that you will share with them. Most canines get terribly excited about going on car trips and will even load and unload themselves. They see it as an adventure with their favorite person and they couldn’t be happier about it. While you may have to deal with a little car sickness from some of them, proper planning and training will help this become not too much of a problem and soon you and your best friend will be going everywhere together.
Reason #2
A cat takes care of itself
Your cat does not need a bath, typically speaking. There are some varieties that may need a little help sometimes, but usually a few good licks of the tongue are all that it takes to stay clean. A cat’s saliva even contains a natural cleanser to help her clean herself.
Dogs have a need to please
While you can train a cat to do simple things like use a litter box or to go outside, cats aren’t very trainable beyond that. There are very rare occasions where they will learn more things, but for the most part they are a single minded creature. Their mind is only on one thing; themselves. With a dog, things are much different. They are known as Man’s Best Friend for a reason. They interact with you, play with you, and basically think of you much more than they think of themselves. Most of them just want to please their owner. This is why it is quite easy to teach them all kinds of tricks. They see that you are pleased they seem to become happier and want to work even more. Many of them will exhaust themselves playing, doing tricks, and obeying commands because the happier you are with them, the happier they are themselves!
Reason #3
You don’t have to take your cat for a walk.
In the winter, it can be hard to get outside to walk your dog. With a cat, things are much easier. Either you can let her out of the house to use the great outdoors, or you can set up a litter box for easy use.
Dogs are easier to train
Canines are much easier to train than a cat is. It is quite easy to teach them most any tricks or skills with simple techniques like positive reinforcement. Even from a young age, puppies can pick up on many things and can be taught to do much more than the basic sit, stay, roll over, lay down, and beg commands that most people know. With time, repetition, and patience a dog can learn many different skills from being able to bring you your slippers to opening the refrigerator and bringing you a drink. They can also be taught much more useful skills, such as leading someone who is blind or techniques in properly taking down a human being without causing them major damage. This is why dogs are trained to do amazing jobs such as being service animals to the handicapped. They can even be trained to be a police K9 and they can help catch criminals.
Reason #4
A cat doesn’t need a lot of space.
Your cat will be happy in a tiny apartment, unlike a dog. While a cat may need to stretch herself, she doesn’t need large spaces to run around in. This is why a cat makes an ideal friend for people who live in the city in small apartments.
Dogs make less mess and have less clutter
Dogs just don’t make as much of a mess as cats do. Cats sling litter everywhere out of their boxes, knock things over just because they can, and typically get all over counters and other high furniture. Your dog may leave his toys all over the house or shed some on your couch, but with the right training that is about the worse you can expect. Yes, untrained they can be quite destructive, especially larger breeds. However, if you are good to them and train them right, you will have very little to worry about cleaning up after. They also don’t require as much around the house. A few toys, a bed, and a food and water dish is the most you will need for a dog. A cat on the other hand is going to need those items, plus a cat tree, scratching posts, and other such items so you can insure you won’t come home to shredded furniture or curtains and even then you can’t insure that it will never happen.
Reason #5
A cat is a cheaper choice.
While purchasing a fancy breed may put you out of some cash, adoption fees for a cat tend to be lower than those for a dog. Other expenses that are higher for a dog include those for food. You may also find that your dog needs someone to walk it when you are away from your home. This significantly will add to your expenses.
Dogs love to play
There aren’t many more things that are as rewarding as playing with your dog. They love playing fetch or just rough housing around with you. To them, this is positive and healthy attention, much like when you play games with your children. Playing with your dog helps the bonding process of you and the animal. They see playing as love and commitment. That is also why sometimes they will bring you their toys and put them in front of you when you don’t seem like you are doing anything. They are trying to tell you that they love you and want to spend time with you. Playtime can be very rewarding for you both. Going for runs with your dog and playing is a great way to get physical exercise while also having a good time.
Reason #6
Babies are safer around cats
While you may need to be careful about having a cat at home with a baby, a cat still is much safer than a dog. Cat bites are basically harmless, and the most harm that a cat can do to you or others is scratch you a little bit.
Dogs will protect the family and home
Whether they are trained to attack or they use their natural senses, a dog is a valuable source of protection. Most canines have enough sense to make sure that they wake their owners in the case of major emergencies like house fires or tornadoes. Dogs can also understand when you are suffering a medical emergency and if they can find a way, they will try to get help for you. They are also naturally protective of their owners. Chances are that if you get physically attacked around them, they are going to try to stop your attacker. The same goes for when you are fighting verbally with someone. If someone is screaming at you, your dog may put themselves between you and the person and start barking. They are trying to let that person know that they should back off because you are protected.
Reason #7
Cats are quiet
The simple fact is that many types of dog will bark and howl. A cat will at most meow or purr.
Dogs have a better attention span
Canines have an amazing attention span. Felines can be very easily distracted. A well trained dog can be told to sit and stay and they will remained focused on that single task for long spans of time. They also make an amazing effort to do something that their feline counterparts do not do. They try their best to pay attention to everything you say to them. This is shown by the fact that they make eye contact with you and tilt their head while they are listening to you. They may not understand our complex language, but they do really try to understand us because they want to please us. They are also very attuned to our emotions, this is how they know when we are hurt or upset. This is also why they comfort us during those times.
Reason #8
A cat isn’t needy.
If you have ever had a dog, then you know that they can be rather needy. A cat will have an independent attitude.
Dogs are fun to dress up
Nothing is cuter than a happy dog in a cute sweater or dress. There are people all over who enjoy dressing up their furry little friends in all kinds of different outfits and showing them off. While lots of people look down on this, the truth is that many of them actually enjoy it and love the attention that they get when they are being shown off. People react differently when they see and adorable Chihuahua in a cute dress, than when they just see it by itself. Dressing your animals up makes them appear more friendly and more approachable. It actually aids in the socialization of your pet so they naturally learn to love and trust humans. You just can’t dress up a cat like that. Usually it angers them and with felines, anger usually leads to some form of revenge.
Reason #9
A cat is a natural mousetrap
If you have problems with vermin in your house, then a cat is an easy solution to the problem.
Dogs provide emotional support
A dog is amazing at providing support for their owners. They can support them emotionally like no other creature out there. There are even special ones that are trained as Emotional Support Animals. These animals help people who have mental illnesses. They provide different services to them, like calming them when they have anxiety attacks or staying close to them so they never feel alone. Many of them are even trained to help crowd control around their human. A dog that does this keeps strangers away by providing a barrier between their human and other people. Their number one concern is their owner and they work 24/7 to make sure the owner is as safe and mental stable as they can be.
Reason #10
A cat is cleaner than a dog.
A dog has the penchant for rolling around in smelly things. Since they are walked outside, they also can track in dirt and debris.
A dog is cleaner than a cat.
People usually think that a cat would be a much cleaner creature than a dog because they are always cleaning themselves, but that is actually far from the truth. There is a lot less dander on a dog than a cat. Also, a cat uses a litter box. When they do so the litter, urine, and feces actually get trapped in their nail beds. If they scratch you there is a high chance of infection. This is why we have the term “cat scratch fever”. Having a dog is much cleaner. Even though they don’t clean themselves, a dog is overall a more sanitary creature. There have been lots of tests on the amount of germs in the mouth of a dog. Truth is, there is significantly less bacteria and germs in the mouth of a dog than there is in a cat and also compared to human mouths. So, next time you see someone letting their dog lick them in the face, you may want to rethink about how sanitary that actually is.
Conclusion
A dog is just a better choice than a cat is for some people. They are cleaner, easier to be trained, and just make better company. For others it is definitely a cat. A cat, while soft and loving attention, can also be very much of a loner who doesn’t want to socialize or be bothered with anything until they themselves choose to mess with whatever happens to catch their fancy. This is good because some people need more independent pets as they don’t have enough time or energy to devote to a dog, but for those who do have the time and energy a dog is best. You will be getting a best friend for life that will be there for you through absolutely everything no matter how bad you mess up or how you happen to be feeling. They won’t judge you. Your furry friend will just love you with all of their heart for as long as you are together.
They are both great pets. If you need a pet, don’t forget to adopt. There are plenty of dogs and cats to go around.
