All of us humans tend to love pets (or at least, most do). The most popular pets in the United States are cats and dogs. But that’s where a very common debate occurs: Are cats or dogs better?
Statistics
According to Forbes, 65.1 million Americans own dogs, and 46.5 million own cats. Also, the National Institutes of Health (PubMed) have stated that 63.3% of Americans prefer dogs, and 36.7% prefer cats. This makes dogs the most popular pets in the United States.
What People at WMS Have to Say
Liam Burgess, an 8th grade student at WMS, has expressed his bias for cats: “I’d rather get a cat because I think they’re just cuter than dogs. Dogs are cool, but I think cats are better and sillier, and they’re funny little goobers.”
Mrs. Douglas, an English teacher at WMS, however stated that if she were to enforce her students to bring a cat or dog into her classroom, it would be dogs.
She originally thought that she liked both cats and dogs, but after hearing the “cats are evil” theory (more on that later), she now sides a bit more with dogs: “I am both [a cat and a dog person], but I think I am partial to dogs after listening to my own answers to the questions.”
“Cats Are Evil” Theory
But what is the “cats are evil” theory? This topic has been brought to my attention by Language Arts and Journalism teacher at WMS, Mr. Malmstrom. He has claimed that if you die, your own cat would immediately eat you.
While some people, such as Liam Burgess, disagree:
“Cats are NOT evil! Cats are the best thing ever made, ever. They are not evil.”
Others think that this is a plausible argument, such as Mrs. Douglas:
“I think given the opportunity, a cat probably would eat your corpse. If it were hungry, I can see a cat doing that more than a dog. I think that cats have evil tendencies, and sometimes I think that cats have that desire to commit something evil.”
Although I did not believe in the theory, I still decided to research it. According to an article Psychology Today, there isn’t much evidence or statistics on whether a cat or dog would eat your dead body. However, pets can sometimes consume an owner’s dead body if starved for long enough.
There may also be some bite marks, nibbles, etc. caused by both cats and dogs on the owner’s body, for multiple reasons: they can either be panicking that their owner is deceased, or they might be trying to help their owner regain their consciousness.
Cats will eventually eat your body if left with no option; dogs (in rare cases) will instead starve themselves, resting aside with their deceased owner. This shows that dogs are very loyal and loving to their owner, and even in dire situations choose their owners over themselves.
Overall, it seems like there isn’t much proof that cats will eat your corpse out of pure malice. You should probably not consider this theory when choosing between a cat or a dog.
How Cats and Dogs Impact Your Life
It also comes down to how your life will change if you get a cat vs. a dog: Dogs are loyal, cute, and very loving to their owners, but require a lot of attention and care.
Cats are also cute and love their owners, but not as loyal and are often silly and a little mischievous. However, they don’t require as much care and attention as dogs, since they are usually calm and sleepy animals.
Conclusion
As you can see, there tends to be a lot of debate and arguments about whether cats or dogs are truly better than one another. Some people, including myself, like both equally. In my opinion, the pros and cons outweigh each other. I would definitely get both if I ever have the chance.
So, which one do you prefer?
