Cats vs. Dogs
The Truth About Cats and Dogs....
Here’s the Secret Truth About Cats and Dogs
The Sun Chronicle, September 7, 2009
Well folks, I am far into my third year of writing the dog column. I’ve always been respectful about staying in my own yard because I know how territorial the cat people can be. Still, I’m sure that many readers have wondered about what it is that makes dogs and cats so different. Today, I’m going to bark about the unhissable: The secret truth about cats and dogs.
Those of you who may live with both cats and dogs know how it is to come home to two very different animals. The cat doesn’t move from its spot on the back of the sofa and looks at you as if to say “oh, la-de-da you’re home. Big deal.” Whereas the dog isn’t happy until it climbs all over you, covers you with hair, knocks you down and deposits dog spit all over your face. There are exceptions to the rule, but this is how it generally goes.
Behavior is so different because there is a major distinction in the social arrangement of dogs and cats. Dogs prefer community where as cats are independent. The dog’s world is one of social hierarchy where they live in relation to other members of the pack. For a dog, relationships are ordered like the rungs on a ladder. Every other pack member either stands above or below the dog on the ladder. The social order is established and reinforced in everyday by interactions within the pack group. This is why the dog invariably comes racing over to you after a day at work: Phideaux wants to reaffirm and maintain the social status quo.
The dog ladder-like hierarchy is an efficient system because when the leader is away, the second-rung pack member steps-up into the position of top dog. This explains why when one dog leaves a multi-dog household there is a dynamic shift and one of the remaining dogs seems to change into a completely different pooch. The pack leader replacement has to assume the responsibilities of being the Chief Cookie Officer and this translates into gaining confidence by being respected in a new way.
Cats, on the other paw, don’t waste their time with this pack blah-blah nonsense. Cats are independent and focus primarily on self. In their system of relating, there’s one leader and that’s it. The rest of the minions co-exist as a pool of kitties who busy themselves with doing their own thing while avoiding confrontation with the leader. This is why the cat doesn’t seem to lift a whisker when you come home, even if it is from a catnip sale at Barneys. In the absence of a leader, it is not unusual for a cat-fight to ensue in order to determine the new ruler of the litter box.
The truth is that cats and dogs have vastly different points of view, but this does not matter to this dog snob. I have not doubt that a really smart cat can easily learn to behave like a dog.
Wags, Tracie
