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Cat People vs. Dog People

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Re: Cat People vs. Dog People

#71

Post by douche »

wahern wrote: post #67
auganov wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most [all?] cultures agree. "Dog" is an insult across many languages, which indicates it's lower status. Never heard of "cat" being a standalone insult.

Because a dog has been a part of the human social hierarchy in many cultures. Calling someone a dog alludes to various social characteristics. Calling somebody a cat is just non-sensical. I suppose there could have been cultures where a cat occupied a place in the day-to-day social hierarchy (and not just in a religious sense). But if so that sense has been lost to us. For obvious reasons I wouldn't expect such a rel…

There's the expression that someone is "one cool cat"

Re: Cat People vs. Dog People

#72

Post by shirro »

dav43 wrote: post #59

Here is Australia, I don't like cats because they kill the native wildlife. They're a pest. I have also seen what cats can do after travelling to some Greek islands. Almost zero wildlife on lands. No prevelance of birds. You wake up to silence. For this reason, I'll always be a dog person.

I am deeply opposed to cat ownership on ecological grounds. They cause massive damage when introduced to a country like Australia. Most cat owners are very irresponsible and allow their animals to roam but strenuously resist any moves to regulate their fluffy little predators.

Dog owners are required to tag and register their animals and face fines if their animals roam which is reasonable for the protection of stock or people from wild dogs. My takeaway is that dog owners are more reasonable and less selfish. I blame it on toxoplasmosis.

Re: Cat People vs. Dog People

#73

Post by brokenmachine »

cryptica wrote: post #10

I used to love dogs when I was a kid, now I'm definitely a cat person. I find dogs superficial and too simple-minded. If you feed them often enough, they will like you (guaranteed) - I find this kind of relationship unsatisfying - You are the master and so the dog has no choice but to like you. Kind of like how people are inclined to laugh when their boss makes a not-so-funny joke - That's the kind of dynamic you get…

>I find dogs superficial and too simple-minded. If you feed them often enough, they will like you (guaranteed) - I find this kind of relationship unsatisfying - You are the master and so the dog has no choice but to like you. Kind of like how people are inclined to laugh when their boss makes a not-so-funny joke - That's the kind of dynamic you get.

Disclaimer: I'm a 100% dog person. I hate cats. I had a beautiful dog during my childhood. Due to work arrangements, I ended up feeding a cat every day at one stage of my life. The little bastard would be friendly to me most of the time, he sat on my lap every day for a year, but for no reason some days would scratch me. Eventually I got sick of it and never let him on my lap anymore, fed him still because I had to but didn't pat him. He didn't care how I was feeling on a particular day, it was all about him and his feelings. I don't need that in my life.

>Cats are more mysterious and complex.

I don't find this, I just find them to be moody selfish assholes. Being a moody selfish asshole is not mysterious or complex to me.

This is what I love about dogs, they are so transparent that you know exactly where you stand. If they are growling, they don't like you. But if they like you, you are the most important person in the world! There's no mind games, no deception or moodiness.

If you're in a sad mood, they notice and understand that you're down (or at least acting different to usual) and give you special attention. They might not understand why you are sad, but they don't ignore it. They want you to be happy because then they are happy, and everyone is happy. It's a great feeling when everyone is happy!

If you're in a happy mood, they will feel that and be ecstatic to revel along with you in the joy of being alive and together at that moment.

Why shouldn't a pet like being around you and treat you well when you feed them and treat them well? I don't need an ungrateful dependent.

Remember, the only reason dogs are dependent on people is because of people. Without people, dogs would hunt in a pack like wolves anyway, they wouldn't need people. It is us that domesticated them, which was, and is, a mutually helpful arrangement.

A dog is a pack animal, they need other dogs or people to work together to hunt. This is not a one-way thing, a dog who is part of your pack will do anything to help you if they can. They trust in your judgement and will go with you to the ends of the earth, trusting that you feel that going to the ends of the earth is important for some reason, and being happy just that you are together... That's the kind of companion that I would do anything for as well.

I think that people who aren't dog owners might not understand also that a dog's love isn't completely unconditional either. If you treat a dog badly, they won't care for you in the amazing way that they care for a person who takes good care of them. Of course a dog is still dependent on a bad owner, just like a child may be dependent on a bad parent, but they won't bond with the owner in the same way, just like a child with a bad parent.

I don't understand the attraction with those little dogs that seem so stupid however. They seem like dogs with all the best parts removed, the loyalty and intelligence. They will be friendly to anyone, or scared of anyone. They will get distracted by something and run away if they're not kept leashed or locked up. They don't notice if you're sad, they're just ridiculously happy all the time. I guess for some people having a ridiculously happy all the time pet raises their mood, but for me that would feel a bit empty.

Re: Cat People vs. Dog People

#74

Post by exadeci »

honkhonkpants wrote: post #16

This seems like quite an intrusion into people's private data. If certain other large companies decided to crawl all over your data for shits and giggles, I'm fairly sure HN would have its pitchforks out.

Ahah it's Facebook, what did you expect? They already sell your data and the new features like: Like/Love/HaHa Or tagging posts are just ways for them to know you better and show you relevant advertising or selling the data they have on you.

Re: Cat People vs. Dog People

#75

Post by brokenmachine »

thatswrong0 wrote: post #14
cryptica wrote: post #10

I used to love dogs when I was a kid, now I'm definitely a cat person. I find dogs superficial and too simple-minded. If you feed them often enough, they will like you (guaranteed) - I find this kind of relationship unsatisfying - You are the master and so the dog has no choice but to like you. Kind of like how people are inclined to laugh when their boss makes a not-so-funny joke - That's the kind of dynamic you get…

From what I can tell, cats are just as simple-minded as dogs, but the main difference is that they are barely domesticated. So yeah, I'll take the creature that appears to love me over the creature that couldn't care less about me. I especially appreciate how present dogs are.. they don't seem to care about anything that's going on other than what's happening right now , and that's something I need more of in my life…

>And man, I love watching the videos of dogs being reunited with their owners after not seeing them for months.

I could watch those forever.

What's amazing is it's almost like that, maybe on a slightly smaller scale, when you arrive home from work every single day!

It makes you feel like a celebrity. Hard to be sad when someone is so happy just to see you.

Re: Cat People vs. Dog People

#76

Post by Blorqx »

As a human-presenting, non-binary, therian (felinekin), I feel I must weight in.

Gender is a binary social construct used for oppression and it is disgusting to project your closed minded, heteronormative, racist ideas of gender on innocent animals who have no way of consenting.

Using the word "pussy" to refer to vaginal sexual organs OR to a feline animal is a micro-aggression against all womyn AND all feline-identifying otherkin and is the type of privileged, sexist language that enables our oppression.

Re: Cat People vs. Dog People

#77

Post by nol13 »

CM30 wrote: post #52

I wonder how much of this is an introvert/extravert thing? I mean, the article already points out that dog people will likely have more friends and cat people are more likely to be single, so I suspect the difference in preferences may depend on that aspect of someone's personality. Cats are perfect for introverts; they look after themselves, don't tend to do much in the day, don't need walks and hence can be mostly…

I walk my cat..

Re: Cat People vs. Dog People

#78

Post by derefr »

brokenmachine wrote: post #73
cryptica wrote: post #10

I used to love dogs when I was a kid, now I'm definitely a cat person. I find dogs superficial and too simple-minded. If you feed them often enough, they will like you (guaranteed) - I find this kind of relationship unsatisfying - You are the master and so the dog has no choice but to like you. Kind of like how people are inclined to laugh when their boss makes a not-so-funny joke - That's the kind of dynamic you get…

>I find dogs superficial and too simple-minded. If you feed them often enough, they will like you (guaranteed) - I find this kind of relationship unsatisfying - You are the master and so the dog has no choice but to like you. Kind of like how people are inclined to laugh when their boss makes a not-so-funny joke - That's the kind of dynamic you get. Disclaimer: I'm a 100% dog person. I hate cats. I had a beautiful do…

> moody

Isn't it mysterious why exactly a cat is in the particular mood it's in? It's a puzzle. Like dating a person with Borderline Personality Disorder is a puzzle. Some people love puzzles.

Re: Cat People vs. Dog People

#79

Post by derefr »

overcast wrote: post #3

The book and movie comparisons throw me off. It looks like the majority of dog owners in this research are women, while the majority of cat owners are men. I'd have expected those to be reversed.

Hypothesis: this whole article ignores the selection effect of getting from "people with pets" to "people who talk about their pets on Facebook." Maybe dog-owning men, and cat-owning women, just don't think their pets need a social-media presence?

Re: Cat People vs. Dog People

#80

Post by derefr »

douche wrote: post #38
TA8aug wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My gut reaction to the book and movie comparisons is that people who share cat photos tend to be liberal and people who share dog photos tend to be conservative (for the US definition of liberal and conservative). Maybe I'm off base. Also, note that the comparison is about people who share cat or dog photos and their Facebook friends -- not about cat or dog people and their actual friends. I'm a dog person and many o…

It's also difficult to have a real dog if you're living in a city. Dogs need space, exercise, and attention, which are in short supply the more urban you go. Additionally, it can be almost impossible to find apartments that will allow dogs over purse-size. Cats don't particularly need exercise, are small, tend to be able to entertain themselves, and for whatever reason, are easier to get permission to have in apartme…

Suburbs count as city, though, not rural. And to me, that's a dog's niche: the detached-home-plus-yard. Dogs don't fit in apartments, but they don't really "earn their keep" on farms, either (on ranches or pastures, sure, but not farms.) Meanwhile, it's traditional to have a barn-cat to keep away vermin, even if you've also got traps.
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