Cats: What does your opinion say about you?

Fizzlesque

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

The ALF are to animal extremeists as Sinn Fein were to the IRA......

"...sources with the Animal Liberation Front refuse to condemn the macabre act..."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2004/oct/17/theobserver.uknews

I don't know anything about them but that link wasn't the one I wanted to post and I changed it when I realised my mistake. Haven't time to read your link right now, but my focus was the cat, not the Animal Liberation Front.

I've read a few stories about cats becoming the eyes for their blind dog-friends, and thought it might be topical.

Madam

How about a hybrid for those of us who can't make up our minds?:rolleyes:

http://www.catster.com/the-scoop/cornells-genetic-breakthrough-produces-cat-dog-hybrid

sink

Dogs were domesticated long before cats around about 15,000 years ago. They were used for hunting/tracking and security, as such the developed a very symbiotic relationship with humans and are the only species know to follow human body language such as eye movement and pointing.

Cats in contrast were domesticated around 7,500 years ago and so have had less time to adapt to humans. They also served a different purpose as they were primarily used for pest control, whereby they would protect fields and grain stores from rodents. It was a solitary role and did not requires the same level of cooperation with humans as dogs would when hunting alongside them.

For this reason dogs are more in tune with humans and cats seem more independent.

Fizzlesque

Not really relevant to whether people prefer cats or dogs, but this is a beautiful video story about a cat and dog who became great friends. Worth watching all ten minutes, if you have the time.

http://www.wimp.com/storydog/

Its Behind You!

OneArt wrote: »

I wish people would just shut the f*ck up about this.

Cats and dogs are different animals. They do what they do to survive. Dogs are pack animals and survive better in groups, hence the loyalty.

Cats are solitary creatures and have learned how to manipulate humans somewhat. It's all down to the survival of their own species.

I think humans are selfish for expecting an animal to give them unconditional love and obedience. Dogs will give it because they have the protection and comfort of a family. Cats will only stick around if there's something in it for them. And why shouldn't they? Cats don't owe the human race anything. We used them to get rid of vermin and now just keep them as pets or living toys.

I would agree totally with your post (excepting the opening line which is a bit strong).

The issue I was raising that certain personality characteristics, either genetically or acquired may favour one animal over another.

But AH is probably not the place to discuss this. However...

I work with a client group, many of whom for one reason or another may be what psychologists might describe as "Codependent".

I have noticed over the years that many have a high emotional attachment to dogs, but loathe cats.

They seem to get quite emotional about the perceived mistreatment or hardship for dogs, but some can justify and even relish in the mistreatment of cats.

(Dogs need looking after, but cats can look after themselves sort of thing)...

It is argued that codependent people have a need to care and look after others, and can feel hurt by rejection or the sense that someone does not need help.

This is merely a crude observation and to my knowledge has no scientific or factual basis.

From Wiki:

Codependency describes behaviors, thoughts and feelings that go beyond normal kinds of self-sacrifice or caretaking. For example parenting is a role that requires a certain amount of self-sacrifice and giving a child's needs a high priority, although a parent could nevertheless still be codependent towards their own children if the caretaking or parental sacrifice reached unhealthy or destructive levels.[2] Generally a parent who takes care of their own needs (emotional and physical) in a healthy way will be a better caretaker, whereas a codependent parent may be less effective, or may even do harm to a child.[2] Another way to look at it is that the needs of an infant are necessary but temporary whereas the needs of the codependent are constant.
People who are codependent often take on the role as a martyr; they constantly put others' needs before their own and in doing so forget to take care of themselves. This creates a sense that they are "needed"; they cannot stand the thought of being alone and no one needing them. Codependent people are constantly in search of acceptance. When it comes to arguments, codependent people also tend to set themselves up as the "victim". When they do stand up for themselves, they feel guilty.
Codependency does not refer to all caring behavior or feelings, but only those that are excessive to an unhealthy degree.[6] Indeed, from the standpoint of Attachment theory or Object relations theory, "to risk becoming dependent"[7] may be for the compulsively self-reliant a psychological advance, and "depending on a source outside oneself ... successful, or tolerable, dependence" [8] may be valorized accordingly.
Co-Dependents Anonymous offers these patterns and characteristics as a tool to aid in self-evaluation

Madam_X

tfitzgerald wrote: »

I like dogs. I can not stand the purring sound cats make

Where To wrote: »

For me animals fall into three categories

1)Those you can eat

2)Those you can train

3)Those that are useless.

Cats are useless.

Well they kill rats.

Tar.Aldarion

Love cats and dogs, my kittens are great

http://i.imgur.com/c8Rwp.gif

Conmaicne Mara

Madam_X wrote: »

Well they kill rats.

My sisters cats used to live in my shed. I had forgotten about a bag of barley and the rats got at it. The cats and rats happily coexisted - there were no rat bodies. Until I evicted the lot of them and handled the rats myself.
The only thing those two could manage to kill was a tin of Whiskas, and only then if it was emptied out for them lol.

blacklilly

I love animals but I'm not a fan of cats.
I've been bitten twice by cats, once was when my neighbours big white fluffy cat came into my house and I let it sit on my lap, was petting it and next thing it launches,its jaw onto my wrist, ended up getting stitches.
The other time an ex bf's cat was rubbing off my leg and again launched its jaw into my ankle so since then I just don't trust them, I'd actually say I'm afraid of them.
I'd never do any harm to a cat and only recently found a stray kitten and brought it to a shelter but I will never own one.
As for dogs, I adore them, I've a Springer and she's 11 now, unfortunately has cancer for the second time and I'm devastated:(

Odysseus

Its Behind You! wrote: »

I would agree totally with your post (excepting the opening line which is a bit strong).

The issue I was raising that certain personality characteristics, either genetically or acquired may favour one animal over another.

But AH is probably not the place to discuss this. However...

I work with a client group, many of whom for one reason or another may be what psychologists might describe as "Codependent".

I have noticed over the years that many have a high emotional attachment to dogs, but loathe cats.

They seem to get quite emotional about the perceived mistreatment or hardship for dogs, but some can justify and even relish in the mistreatment of cats.

(Dogs need looking after, but cats can look after themselves sort of thing)...

It is argued that codependent people have a need to care and look after others, and can feel hurt by rejection or the sense that someone does not need help.

This is merely a crude observation and to my knowledge has no scientific or factual basis.

From Wiki:

Codependency describes behaviors, thoughts and feelings that go beyond normal kinds of self-sacrifice or caretaking. For example parenting is a role that requires a certain amount of self-sacrifice and giving a child's needs a high priority, although a parent could nevertheless still be codependent towards their own children if the caretaking or parental sacrifice reached unhealthy or destructive levels.[2] Generally a parent who takes care of their own needs (emotional and physical) in a healthy way will be a better caretaker, whereas a codependent parent may be less effective, or may even do harm to a child.[2] Another way to look at it is that the needs of an infant are necessary but temporary whereas the needs of the codependent are constant.
People who are codependent often take on the role as a martyr; they constantly put others' needs before their own and in doing so forget to take care of themselves. This creates a sense that they are "needed"; they cannot stand the thought of being alone and no one needing them. Codependent people are constantly in search of acceptance. When it comes to arguments, codependent people also tend to set themselves up as the "victim". When they do stand up for themselves, they feel guilty.
Codependency does not refer to all caring behavior or feelings, but only those that are excessive to an unhealthy degree.[6] Indeed, from the standpoint of Attachment theory or Object relations theory, "to risk becoming dependent"[7] may be for the compulsively self-reliant a psychological advance, and "depending on a source outside oneself ... successful, or tolerable, dependence" [8] may be valorized accordingly.
Co-Dependents Anonymous offers these patterns and characteristics as a tool to aid in self-evaluation

I generally avoid using certain terms as I'm not sure if they really exist, Co-dependancy would be one of them; that's not to say that people do not engage in those behaviours that people class as co-dependant. It also goes to sat that just because I don't use them that I'm right; I could be wrong.

Have you or can you expand on the connection you see here? What type of personality characterists do you see in play here?

If you feel AH is not the best place to discuss, why not try a thread in the psych forum?

dd972

Cats. a great bunch of lads !

areyawell

Cats are snakes, you never know what there thinking. Dogs are the best pet. Cats remind me of snakes. Horrible creatures!

Odysseus

areyawell wrote: »

Cats are snakes, you never know what there thinking. Dogs are the best pet. Cats remind me of snakes. Horrible creatures!

To be fair, do we know what any animal is thinking? Snakes can be quite interesting pets too.

enfield

Getting back to the original question.....As I grow older, something finally dawned on me, and its that people do not want to hear negative things nor hang out with negative people. Progress comes from a man with an idea, not a negative idea but a person who wants to progress with a better way.
Ever hear the saying that bad things happen to negative people? Negative people only make it sound so.
Surround yourself with positive people and positive ideas. Remember 'Desiderata'?(look it up on google).
The best way of putting it is, do you want to hear the opinion of a positive, encouraging, enthusiastic, enabling person? or listen to someone spouting their own personal bile, anger, hate, and grievances?
Nothing good comes from negativity.
Now put yourself in the position of the person in front of you, which one do you think they want to hear?
Life is too short to for negativity.
As the Beatles said 'Let it be.'
Cheers.
Ould Tom.

Duckjob

I love cats. I love every kind of cat. I just want to hug all of them, but I can't. Can't hug every cat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sP4NMoJcFd4

monkeysnapper

I like cats
I like dogs

charlemont

Cats...Natures all action animals...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvEOjDeLWkA

artvanderlay

I have a system to decide which animal is better than another, developed after years of reading pointless "which is better?" threads on boards. It's an anagram game as follows:

Cat - cta, act, atc, tac, tca = gives 1 usable word.
dog - dgo, odg, ogd, god, gdo = gives 1 usable word. So it's a draw.

It only works with animals that have the same number of letters in their species, otherwise an elephant would crush a cat and a dog. Incidentally an ant would be:

ant - atn, nat, nta, tan, tna = only has 1 usable word, tan, but get's a bonus point for t n' a, so beats cat and dog.

There's lots of rules to this game. PM me for a list of them.

newmug

OP, first you sneak up behind people, then you try to analyse people's character based on whether they like dogs or cats, then you bring up this "codependancy" stuff, are you a psychotherapist or a psychiatrist or something?

Analyse this: I shoot stray/feral cats, and I fcukin enjoy it. I have also killed a few dogs when nescessary. But my favourite animal is Hereford. Lovely soft meat, nyom nyom!

And I aint no need-freak neither!

newmug

newmug wrote: »

OP, first you sneak up behind people, then you try to analyse people's character based on whether they like dogs or cats, then you bring up this "codependancy" stuff, are you a psychotherapist or a psychiatrist or something?

No qualified psychotherapist, psychiatrist or psychologist would come up with something like that. Its a pop psych theory, nothing more.

DEFTLEFTHAND

I think I prefer cats because they're a low maintenance pet. I've problems with commitment. :pac:

Shane-KornSpace

I loved my old cats.
One of them used to walk along side me all the time when I was going to the shop or work.
She was just like a dog in that way, shed follow you wherever you go and she would sleep and wait outside my bedroom door every night until I got up.

I love dogs too.

Ava_e

newmug wrote: »

Analyse this: I shoot stray/feral cats, and I fcukin enjoy it. I have also killed a few dogs when nescessary.

Why do you "fcukin enjoy it" ?.

Not being smart but where is the enjoyment in killing an animal.

B.A._Baracus

Ava_e wrote: »

Why do you "fcukin enjoy it" ?.

Not being smart but where is the enjoyment in killing and animal.

I assume newmug is joking..... I ****ING HOPE HE IS JOKING :pac:

( *cocks shotgun just in case* )

Ava_e

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

I assume newmug is joking..... I ****ING HOPE HE IS JOKING :pac:

( *cocks shotgun just in case* )

Yep I think that flew over my wine filled mind

Rezident

Maybe, I've always been a cat person but I'm growing to appreciate dogs, in no small part to the You Laugh You Lose... thread and things like the Dog Texts.

They both have their place in the world I just think that when you're a kid you feel you have to take sides, I was bitten by a dog so I chose cats. Eddie Izzard sketches helped reinforce my love of cats and laughter at dogs (e.g. the greyhound sketch ).

Magenta

It makes me laugh that a lot of the people who talk about how loyal dogs are, keep their dog on a chain in the garden all day. "Oh he's so loyal he'll never wander off like cats do"- Yeah he's on a chain, where's he gonna go?

Also, compare the number of people including children, mauled by the family dog per year versus the family cat...

ziggy23

I love both. Almost everyone I know hates cats but yet have never owned one I think it's just the popular thing to say these days. It really bugs me when they come into my house and expect me to put my cats out cos they don't like them. I never do.

Shenshen

newmug wrote: »

OP, first you sneak up behind people, then you try to analyse people's character based on whether they like dogs or cats, then you bring up this "codependancy" stuff, are you a psychotherapist or a psychiatrist or something?

Analyse this: I shoot stray/feral cats, and I fcukin enjoy it. I have also killed a few dogs when nescessary. But my favourite animal is Hereford. Lovely soft meat, nyom nyom!

And I aint no need-freak neither!

Based on that post, I am now convinced that the OP did have a point after all.
How people treat animals is a good indicator as to them being people I would want to associate with or not...

greenheart

Last night the winds were really loud in my bedroom because of a vent that's too wide. My cat kept putting her paw on my face and going under the blanket, I copped on after a while that she was trying to get me under the blanket as well away from the big bad winds