One of those old stand-by topics.. I noticed over at Hello Dita there is a post about which are smarter, cats or dogs? The accepted answer is that dogs are smarter because they can be more easily trained. But then, if you were to describe your husband as 'well-trained' people probably wouldn't think much of their relative intelligence.

It occurred to me that cats are more of an introvert's pet, and dogs are more of an extrovert's kind of pet. I can identify with cats, and empathize. I think that if I was the size of a cat I would behave exactly as they do; go look for a nice warm spot on the couch where the sun is shining in and take a nap, patrol my territory and go exploring now and then, get my shits and giggles by running after the birds. Dogs, on the other hand, behave rather strangely. They don't understand their own indignity when begging for attention. They have give excessive loyalty and affection to some dope just because he thinks he owns them, they just generally have an obsessive, clingy relationship with their owners, and can't seem to amuse themselves. Something we introverted cat people can't handle for a second, either in a pet or in people.

I think it has something to do with growing up with a cat. They give off a certain special polarizing kitty dust that affects the people around them. Either the are allergic, or they fall under the cat's spell and are henceforth under its control. People affected in this way become 'cat people', that is, they are slowly turned into cats themselves.

'cat people' spent their childhoods worried at the presence of a dog in the yard, some boorish destructive creature who doesn't pay their cats proper respect. Dogs leave a trail of destruction in their wake, trampled flowers, knocked over furniture. Where a cat goes over or around, a dog will go through.

Dogs have their uses, to be sure, and there's nothing better than playing frisbee with a friendly, intelligent dog, but what they need is an off switch.

Another interesting observation is that when cat-like traits are applied to humans it is in a positive manner. Gracefulness, cunning, quiet. You can't call someone "dog-like" without getting a kick in the crotch. You also won't see a movie called "dogwoman" coming out any time soon.

Perhaps what brings the dog down is its servile, dependent nature. Especially when compared to the much superior cousins, the wolf and the coyote. Now there are some respectable animals. The dog is like the parody, the degeneration of a once-noble creature. While the housecat seemingly avoids this fate by being self-sufficient to the end.

OK, after I wrote all this, I found this article that says almost the opposite, and that I also agree with completely. Perhaps it's more to do with the fact that pets grow to resemble the personality of their owners. So annoying people who own dogs will have annoying dogs. Makes sense.