Cat person/dog person

[grace0418]

I currently have one cat but would probably have several cats and dogs if my circumstances permitted it. Recently someone visiting my home said "Oh, you're a cat person. I'm a dog person."

I have always thought that was odd. I guess I can understand how people have their preferences, but I've never understood why many people feel the two must be mutally exclusive. I do love cats. I also love dogs. In fact I'm pretty much on board with anything cuddly and furry. I even enjoy lizards, snakes, turtles, birds, goldfish and many other animals.

The other thing that seems odd to me about that statement is it implies that all cats or all dogs are very similar, which is definitely not true. I can't tell you the number of times I've had people tell me "I'm a dog person, I don't even like cats, but your cat is AWESOME. He's so sweet and friendly and affectionate." That's absolutely true, and it's very nice to hear, but it puzzles me. I've met my share of disinterested, spazzy, annoying, unfriendly and even down-right ill-tempered dogs but that doesn't change my opinion about dogs in general. Why is there this assumption that all cats are automatically going to be hissing, scratching nightmares until proven otherwise? That certainly has never been my experience. Maybe cats in general are a bit more reserved and skittish, but I meet super-friendly kitties all the time when I'm out for a walk or at people's homes.

Well, anyway, count me as more of a cat-dog-mammal-lots-of-animals-except-maybe-centipedes-and-roaches-person.

[LeftyMom]

1. I love pretty much all kinds of animals

but as a practical matter, I'd rather have a cat than a dog becuase cats are low maintianance and dogs aren't. I've already got a kid, if I had to make sitter arrangements for him and a dog, I don't think I'd ever get to go anywhere. There are times I'd like to get a dog though. :)

[billyskank]

9. If you had a cat

you'd have to buy it meat. I like cats too, but for that reason I could not keep one myself. :hi:

[LeftyMom]

13. I suppose that's one advantage to dogs

they do very well on veg food, while cats someimes get urinary issues.

[liontamer]

15. they can also go blind

they're not omnivores so they really don't adapt well to a vegetarian diet.

[LeftyMom]

18. There are veg synthetic cat foods out there (regular cat foods rely

heavily on synthetics for taurine and other cat nutrition needs as well) and apparently the european ones tend to work out pretty well (I know people who've fed them for years) but sadly the options in the US are somewhat less reliable.

[radwriter0555]

2. I must be a dog person. I just spent 20 minutes (with a plastic glove)

cleaning poop off my little Lola's butt.

She's a pomeranian. Her butt had crusty AND fresh poopies matted into the hair.

In the tub, with the handheld shower, plastic gloves, cleaning the shit off a dog's ass.

I MUST be a dog person.

She may have impacted butt glands. I'll take her to the groomer this week.

Ahhhh, the joys of being a dog owner.

But, I've had cats, turtles, spiders, lizards, giant tortoises, birds, madagascar hissing cockroaches, racoons, skunks, possums, snakes, fish, fish, fish, legless lizards, played with penguins, snow leopards and elephants, lamas, giraffes, dolphins, etc, etc, etc.

[crispini]

3. Some people get all "judge-y" like that, you know?

I mean, I *do* consider myself a "cat person" because I primarily like cats and have never had a dog, but my parents and members of my family have dogs, and I always enjoy their dogs, and I keep thinking about getting a dog, but I'm all single right now and I like being able to go out of town at the drop of a hat and not worry about boarding etctera., but I would love to have a big friendly dog to go to the lake with. As long as the dog wouldn't lick my toes. That squicks me out, toe-licking. :D

I also like geckos, snakes, fish, spiders, snails, and all that cool garden stuff, except it needs to stay outside.

and I HATE palmetto bugs. Sorry, palmetto bugs must DIE.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

4. I have cats and a dog..

:shrug: I pretty much love most animals....possibly more than most people..I spend a lot of time at zoos if that's any indication

[grace0418]

7. That's awesome.

You sound like my kind of person.

[skygazer]

5. I've always looked at it as what one's choice would be

If they had to make a choice. Given the chance to have either a cat or a dog but not both, I would choose a dog, though I love all animals and right now have a cat who I adore. I like dogs because they make cool companions to take with you on walks or rides in the car or horseback riding. That type of thing.

I love cats, too and have had all kinds of animals for most of my life but my favorite type of pet tends to be a dog. And I think people put it that way because cats and dogs are the two most popular types of pets.

[grace0418]

8. Yeah, like I said,

I can see someone having a preference. I don't personally have one on a general level, although practically speaking I suppose I find cats easier to manage on a day to day basis. But it's just odd to me how often someone makes that declaration about me just because I have a cat. "Oh, you're a cat person!" Almost as if they're writing me off if I'm not a declared dog person.

[RebelOne]

6. I'm an all-animal person, but I have a preference for dogs. n/t

[grace0418]

10. The other weird part about being labelled a "cat person" is

that everyone assumes I want clothing, jewelry, knick-knacks, calendars, and other items with cats on them. Uh, no. Not at all. I love cats but I don't love puff-paint airbrushed cat sweatshirts thank you very much.

[Harley Quinn]

25. You too, huh?

I didn't have pets as a child. My parents were "Dog People" before the became "Children People", but didn't keep any animals after I was born.

When I moved out, I started keeping my own pets, primarily cats. Ever since, every Christmas, I get very cutesy kitty stuff. Some of it is cute, sone of it is weird. They just seem to think cat ownership denotes a fondness for coffee mugs with kitty pictures.

[grace0418]

27. What is that about?

My friends know better because they know my taste. But my family and my in-laws think I want to look like a walking cat billboard. Yuck.

[Seabiscuit]

11. Cat person.

Dogs are sweet, but they're also messy, smelly, and annoying (especially the ones that jump up on people and smell their crotches).

[fizzgig]

12. i'm with you

i haven't had a dog since i was eight, but i think a lot of it has to do with the training and upbringing. i love all animals, i prefer cats because i've always had cats (a great cats at that) but if i had the time/room/money, etc, i'd want a dog, a horse and all other types of animals...but not earwigs...they freak me out

[alarimer]

14. I am both

Or should I say, I cannot choose between them. Actually I like all animals but I have a cat because I do not think it is fair to keep a dog in an apartment. Also I work crazy hours and cats are more self-sufficient than dogs are, in that I don't have to take the cat for a walk several times a day.

We had dogs when I was growing up. I never really knew anything about cats until I lived with one that belonged to my roommate.

[liontamer]

16. i'm with you

they're all cute and fuzzy. Some are friendlier than others but it's largely a matter of how they're raised.

People are just to quick to prejudge.

[kedrys]

17. I'm definitely a cat person

(and not just because I have 7 cats right now). I've met dogs I liked a lot, but never seriously considered getting one.

[scarlet_owl]

19. I'm a ferret person.

But if I had to choose between cats and dogs I'd pick cats.

[Ava]

20. both, depends on the animal's personality

i like some cats better than some dogs and some dogs better than some cats. it just depends. :shrug:

[Arugula Latte]

21. I identify as a cat person for a couple reasons:

One is that I adore cats and, although I consider myself an animal person, I never want to have a dog, and I always want to have many cats in my life.

The other is, frankly, a little bit defensive. I am really SICK of the anti-cat bias in this culture. Cats are portrayed in mass culture such as, for example, children's movies, as annoying or evil creatures who are inferior to the all-American dogs (Stuart Little, Cats vs. Dogs, That Darn Cat, Lady and the Tramp, etc). I don't like that commercial with the tag line "Dogs Rule." So many times I've had dog people go on about their dogs and I (being a polite person) show interest in their animals, and then the dog people do not even try to return interest in my animals. (Example, I know the names of their dogs and ask about them, but they don't know the names of my cats, even though my cats are just as important to me as their dogs are to them). Cats are portrayed much as liberals are in this country -- "the other." I could go on and on. The anti-cat bias is out there, and, like I said, it makes me want to identify with the Cat Side as opposed to the Dog Side.

Thankfully, DU is one place where the cat people more than have their say! ;)

[Haole Girl]

22. I get the same treatment and it makes me so angry

I love all animals, and I can't stand being labeled "cat person." I'd have dogs, as well as cats, if I had a bigger backyard. People just use any old excuse to be condescending, that's all.

[CC]

23. Second ferret person here.

Though I love all animals and have a variety if I was forced to only have one species it would have to be the ferrets. I never understood why people thought someone had to be one or the other either.

[Alleycat]

24. I consider myself an animal lover

All animals, domesticated-wild, cats-dogs, birds-turtles, although I am not too fond of snakes I have on occasion moved them off our road into the woods, same for the toads.

[Mutley]

26. I like both.

:shrug: