Sherry grew up watching her uncle raise turtles, fish, goats and sheep in his
backyard. She lives with a tabby and her three kittens.

15 Reasons Why Cats Are Better Pets Than Dogs.

Cats and dogs are understood by the manifestation of their worldview. As an
old joke goes, this is how a dog thinks about its owner(s): “This person’s
great. She feeds me, she pets me, and she plays with me. She must be a god”. A
cat, on the other hand, thinks: “This person’s great. She feeds me, she pets
me, and she plays with me. I must be a god”.

Cats vs dogs have been a topic of debate for thousands of years. As much as
the personality characters attributed to cat lovers and dog lovers is vague,
an invisible line remains between these two types of people.

Cats are the type of pet that will snuggle you to show love rather than drool
and lick your face. Cats have an instinctive way of living, they will love you
when they want to love you and this is what makes them admirable. They make
you work to have a relationship with them and that is the most attractive part
about having cats as pets.

1. Cats are easy to take care of

Cats can be indoor or outdoor and there is no need for walks. Cats do not
constantly ask for human attention. But when you need it, the cat will provide
it. Cats require less time and energy of their owners. Most cats are pretty
lazy that they like to sleep for 16 hours a day.

Even playing with cats is easy. Cats curiosity allows you to play with them
even with a crumpled piece of paper rolled into a ball. Toss it about the room
and that will suffice to keep their energy levels high.

2. Cats are low-maintenance

Besides being much cheaper to get, cats are also low maintenance. All they
need is a bowl of food and another of water, and a litter box. According to
the ASPA, the annual cat care cost can be $140-$200 less compared to dog care
cost and this figure is for basic living. With dogs, there are also more costs
associated with boarding and dog-walking compared to cats.

3. They keep the house clean

Cats are strikingly different from dogs in terms of their utility. They are
notoriously independent and untrainable – as Rudyard Kipling would write, the
cat is “not a friend, and […] not a servant,” but “the Cat who walks by
himself”.

Rodents and pest control is the skill happily mastered by cats.

© David Salter via Flickr

4. Cats quietly creep around the house

A cat will accept when you have to leave the house. On the other hand, most
dogs get upset and destructive. This fact alone should override the
contribution of dogs have made to the human lives.

Cats can easily entertain themselves and cater to their needs on their own.

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5. They are litter-box trained

You have to clean up dog poop by picking it up yourself. Cats can do their
business in the litter box that is easy to clean. Also, it is much easier to
potty train cats than it is for dogs. Most dogs often need professional
training.

Chris Murphy via Flickr

6. They can take care of themselves

Cats are a species known for their independence. You can go to work for 8
hours straight and your cat may not miss you or at least make a mess of it.

Although they love the attention, they are extremely content spending time
alone. What makes cat better than most pets is that they can become your
companion and not a baby needing attention all day.

Pixabay

7. No complaints of noise from neighbours

Barking and growling are two of the main reasons for people relinquishing dogs
to shelters in the US. With cats home, you will not have to worry about the
neighbours complaining about your pet disturbing their peace. Also, cats do
not meow as much as dogs bark.

Cats by nature are calmer, so when you have people over, they will just watch
from a distance. When you need your cat to be quiet for a social event, it
will.

8. No destruction inside and outside the house

Dogs chew furniture, shoes, and other things in the house they are kept for
care. Moreover, they destroy things in the yard and garage. Cats also spray in
the house and maybe bite and chew with their little mouth. But the problems
caused by cats can be eliminated easily. One could say a cat can scratch
furniture, but regular clipping of their nails and adding scratching posts in
some corners of your house will solve this problem.

Pixabay

9. Cats are diligent at grooming and hygiene

Cats clean themselves, making cleaning them less of a pain. They don’t have
that anal gland issue the dogs have.

If you keep the litter box clean and fresh with high-quality litter chances
are, no one will ever notice that you have a cat.

Cats can have their claws whole and they don’t slobber while drinking. There
are breeds of cats that don’t shed and I am not talking about hairless cats,
there are cats with hair that don’t shed or shed very less.

Photo by Katarzyna Modrzejewska from Pexels

10. Cats are better ecological pets

A study reveals that the area of land required to feed a medium-sized dog is
0.84 hectares annually compared to a cat which is 0.15 hectares.

Anothe study reveals some shocking facts as it concludes that, domestic dogs
threaten at least 188 threatened species worldwide.

11. They don’t need much space

Cats can happily live with you in a studio apartment and never want more. Even
keeping a single dog needs a lot more space.

Photo by Lisa Zins from Flickr

12. They are really good mothers

Not only do mother cats nurse their kittens, but they also teach them to use
the litter box, how to sharpen claws and whatnot. For dogs, this
responsibility is upon the owners to teach puppies things. Not everybody might
be able to afford the training assets, grooming tools and professional help
needed for dogs.

13. Cat bites are not half as dangerous as dog bites

Dog bites have dramatically risen in number and severity in the past four
decades. The average number of people dying from dog bites every year is 35.
Even mild dog bites cause pain, injury and a huge risk of infection.

Cats do not pursue people to bite them and their bites cause mild pain.
However, cat bites can be infectious.

Kniemla via Flickr CC-SA

14. Cats do not escape and even if they do, it is not a problem

You can have your cat be an indoor cat and then you don’t have to worry about
it running away. Dogs have to go outside and so it is more likely for them to
run away.

Dog escaping from the house or yard is a huge problem, whereas such a
situation is less stressful for cat owners. Leave the cat to walk around the
neighbourhood and be worry-free because it will come back home.

Photo by Helena Jacoba from Flickr

15. They are cute and funny

This might seem like an opinion. But the fact that there are thirty times more
breeds of dogs than cats and yet we have more cat memes than dog memes around
the internet tells it all.

Cats are cute, cuddly, soft, and funny. They can sit on your lap, lick your
face, spend time hiding and do cute tricks.

“When someone tells me to sit like a lady” – Funny Cat.

Pixabay

Busting the Myths: Cats vs Dogs

1. Dogs are more intelligent than cats.

Many people think that dogs possess higher intelligence because of their
ability to listen to commands and do tricks. On the other hand, cats can take
charge and be independent and cautious, which are both trademark signs of
intelligence. The truth, I believe is that intelligence like many other
qualities of a pet is what their owners perceive them to be.

2. Cats cannot be trained.

“Dogs come when they’re called; cats take a message and get back to you
later.” (Bly 1998). Although they have their own peculiar way of learning
things, cats can be trained too.

3. Dogs are more loving than cats.

People who like dogs usually argue that dogs love humans more and cats do not.
This is based on the studies that have shown that dogs release the “love
hormone” oxytocin upon interaction with their owners. This response was seen
on petting the dog, having eye contact and almost anything. Contrary to this,
there also studies that do not show any such increase.

Moreover, some authors have also criticized the over-simplified view of
oxytocin’s role in social relationships in general and in the dog-human
relationship in particular.

A group of researchers investigated cats’ preference for food, toys and social
interaction with people, most cats sought interaction with humans over
everything else, even food!

4. Dogs have a better relationship with humans than cats do.

Dogs who have been domesticated for nearly 12,000 years are expected to have a
better relationship with humans than do cats, who have been domesticated a
scant 6000 years.

However, several studies have shown that cats develop affection towards their
owners. But, this is related to the time and effort the cat owner invests in
it, in terms of bonding. Moreover, there are also cats who have saved human
lives.

5. There are therapy dogs but no therapy cats.

Ever since the beginning of the domestication history of dogs, dog-lovers seem
to uncover obscure reasons to praise the dog. John Caius mentions in his book
named Of English Dogs that a dog placed to the chest will ease an ill-
stomach or disease of the torso by the virtue of its heat. (Source: Medieval
Pets by Miekle Walker, page 9)

This statement seems almost funny today, especially given the effect that
zoonotic viruses have had on human populations and the fact that some
researchers have suggested viruses like measles were evolved from the
distemper virus that was passed to humans via animals like the dog. (Source:
Animals, Disease, Human Society Joanna and Swabbe, 1999)

Here are some facts about cats providing health benefits:

• Cats can help children with anxiety and/or depression.
• A study by researchers from the University of Minnesota showed that cat owners were nearly 40% less likely to die from a heart attack than those people who have never owned a cat.
• Overweight in dogs, but not in cats, is related to overweight in their owners.
• Cats are now beginning to be used as therapy cats more and more.

Conclusion

I must confess that I am a cat person, although I have nothing against dogs.
Also, I am not trying to declare that cats are the most popular pet.

Which of the two makes a better pet depends on the owner needs and pet
personality rather than pet type. In fact, most pet behaviour studies are
concerned with understanding what owners perceive their pets to be capable of.

Take this fun poll!

I am combining two sources to define “the cat person” and “the dog person”.
(Long 2006, Samuel D 2010) Choose the one that suits you.

• Labels for a cat person: Graceful, subtle, independent, thoughtful, mysterious, more neurotic, open.
• Labels for a dog person: loyal, direct, kind, faithful, utilitarian, helpful, a team player, more extroverted, agreeable, conscientious.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and
is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a
qualified professional.

© 2020 Sherry Haynes

Comments

Michael J McMullen on September 03, 2020:

I had a dog as a child and loved him so much. He was my best friend. However
now thatni have grown up I don’t like the blind loyalty most dogs have. When a
cat loves you it’s because he has decided that you are a person he wants to
love. A csts love is something earned.

Steve from Chingford London on June 17, 2020:

I prefer Racoons. Teddy bears in striped pyjamas lol

Sp Greaney from Ireland on June 16, 2020:

I think cats get a bad rep from society. I personally prefer cats as they
require less work. Great article. I think any cat lover will enjoy reading
this.

Liz Westwood from UK on June 16, 2020:

You make a good case for cats. Dog lovers might disagree. At the end of the
day it all boils down to personal preference. Some people even own both cats
and dogs.