Today on Big Think, I read this article. And I couldn't disagree with it more:
http://bigthink.com/experts-corner/cats-are-just-as-loving-as-dogs-maybe-more-so
The author of this article bases their claim, that cats are more loving than dogs, on the example of a cat that attacked a pair of dogs that were attacking its owner. By that logic, all dogs must be savage, vicious demons, because those two dogs attacked the woman. I'm not saying that cats can't be just as loving as dogs. I am saying that cats who can even approach dogs in their level of attachment to their humans are the exception, not the rule, while the majority of dogs unconditionally love their humans. When's the last time you saw your cat lying on the floor, gazing at the door, waiting for one family member to return? When's the last time your cat sought you out when you were upset, resting its head on your knee to let you know that you were still loved? When's the last time your cat sprang up when you opened the door and sprinted towards you, for any reason other than that it needed to go outside? When's the last time your cat followed you for hours, after you'd fed it its dinner, just because it wanted to be near you? I'd be shocked if any of you can recall something like this, but all three are daily occurrences for almost all the dogs I've encountered in my days (with the exception of the breeds I know as "rat dogs"), including my own boxer-whippet mix. The author passes off these behaviors in dogs as acts of submission. Wolves, the ancestors of dogs, completely disprove this theory. When a low-ranking wolf greets a higher-ranking animal, it will approach cautiously, its tail lowered to show respect, adverting its eyes, maybe giving the other animal a small lick here and there. It certainly won't bound straight up to you, wagging its tail, barking and jumping up on you. Those greeting rituals, common in most domestic dogs who have been treated well, do not indicate a submissive animal. They indicate pure, genuine, unconditional love. I'm not saying that there aren't some cats who love their owners just as much as dogs do, but to the vast majority of the world's felines, the human is just an animal that shares the cat's space, provides it with food, and occasionally gives a friendly stroke. I believe cats like us, but they just don't love us like dogs do. There's a reason felines didn't receive the title of "Man's Best Friend."
Oh my god who in the right mind would ever think cats are more loving than dogs?! I feel like cats are plotting against you when you are your dog's idol. I have been attacked by a dog before and I can still say with confidence that dogs are more loving than cats. Sometimes I'll lay on the floor pretending to be dead and my dogs will come up and look concerned and start pawing or licking my head to see if I'm alive. When I'm sick my dogs lay next to my bed. Even breeds that are known to be 'mean' or 'vicious' are actually really loyal. The reason they attack is because they were taught and they trust their owner in thinking that attacking is right, or they were abused and betrayed by humans that they wanted love from. Forget the diamonds my best friends are dogs!
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