After a lifetime of being a cat owner, we now own a dog. I’ve made a few observations and comparisons about cats vs. dogs.
| Behavior | Cat | Dog |
|---|---|---|
| Eating stuff | cat food, tuna, tuna juice, a piece of chicken now and then. I have heard of cats eating pancake mix and other weird stuff, but mostly our cats eat what you’d think a cat would eat. | dog food, dog treats, anything that falls on the floor in the kitchen, anything that falls on the floor anywhere else in the house, toilet paper, napkins, paper towels (are you seeing a paper products theme here), paper, cardboard, books, steno pads, ear buds, earrings, ear plugs, leaves, twist ties, thumbtacks, something orange (couldn’t make it out but there were orange speckles in a few dog turds). The list goes on. If it fits in his mouth, it is food. |
| Eating | one. kibble. at. a. time. Often softly batted out of the bowl, “killed,” and then eaten. | 30 seconds and it’s over. Like he hasn’t eaten in weeks. |
| Sleeping on the bed | circle walk walk walk circle walk step step walk settle in. | leap up, half circle, collapse on whatever is there (legs, arms, etc.) |
| Annoyance factor on above | cats are like a slow dripping faucet. | dogs are annoying fast and hard and then it’s over. |
| Bad habits | Our most obnoxious cat, Squiddy, eats headphones and pees on stuff on a semi-regular basis. Furniture scratching, vomiting. The cats have been pretty much living in the basement since we got the dog, so I’m no longer afraid of leaving my headphones unattended for 30 seconds or my gym bag on the floor for fear of it getting peed on, BUT >>>>>>>>>>> the dog chews everything else. | chews on EVERYTHING. I think he would actually EAT most of this stuff if it was small enough. Knife handles, combs, socks … LOTS of socks, bra, underpants, computer mouse, cell phones. He’s like a toddler, you can either hear him chomping on something (but if you look at him he stops), or he gets quiet … at which point the damage has already been done to the sock (or whatever). |
| How we know they love us | purr. | follow us around, learn tricks, bark at people walking down the street if it’s late, lick us, get super excited when we get home, look at us with those eyes and head slightly tilted to the side as if to say “do you approve?” “Am I doing it right?” “Do you love me as much as I love you?” |