Why Cats And Dogs Differ In Their Behavior

The main reason why cats and dogs differ in their behavior is that that cats are way, way up the evolutionary chain; poor old dogs aren’t, they just don’t quite “get it”. For example, did you ever hear of a working cat? Of course not, that’s for the lesser species such as dogs, horses and humans. Now that I’ve probably alienated most dog lovers; I’ll try to explain some of the reasoning behind these statements.
I’ll start with dogs; dogs as a rule are lovely, obedient, willing, playful creatures. Their whole reason for living is to serve; they love to make humans happy, when humans are happy they’re happy. Little tails wagging like there’s no tomorrow, they gaze up at you with loving eyes as if to say “What can I do next master?” You throw a ball, they run and fetch it, bringing it back to you, then you do it all over again. A dog will do this for hours until you have had enough; it’s not that they haven’t anything better to do, but they want to make you happy because you are their master.

You can train a dog to do any number of cute, stupid tricks, and they will. Why? Not because they have advanced intelligence; oh no, to please you, to hear those longed for words “There’s a good dog” and receive a pat on the head. Dogs hang on your every word, tell them to “sit” and down their little bottoms go, and all the while their tails are wagging away. They will beg for food, roll over on command, shake your hand, play dead, fetch the paper, guard your house, anything, absolutely anything to please you.
Tell a dog off, and he’ll hang his head, gazing at you with reproachful eyes as if to say, “How could you? I love you so much”. Then he’ll sit in the corner (provided that’s where you tell him to sit) give a sigh, lay his head on his paws, and keep raising his eyes to you, waiting for the moment he’s forgiven. Then out he bounds, tail wagging, eyes filled with love and devotion, “Master you love me again” his little eyes say as he comes straight to your side. All is right with his little doggy world once more, because you are happy with him again. Dogs are bound by your rules and timetables, they only get to go out and explore the neighborhood when you say “walkies”. Even then, it’s on a lead, until you decide it’s safe to let them off. Then they run and bound around, constantly running back to your side for reassurance that you still love them and are happy with them.

Then, when you’ve had enough, even if they haven’t, they’ll come when called and dutifully wait while the lead is put on again. They walk back home with you looking at you often to show their love for you, once back at home they wait patiently until you are next ready to take them out for an adventure. When you go out to work, the dog will guard your house for you, barking to deter intruders. Your dog may sleep for a while, but all the while his ears are tuned for the sound of your car in the drive or key in the door. Once you walk through that door, what a welcome he gives you! Almost as if you’ve been gone for years; he’s so excited, he whimpers and his tail wags so hard his whole body moves. You don’t have to rush to feed your dog, just tell him he’s a good boy, pat his head, and he’ll be happy. He wants only affection and won’t pester you for food, not matter how hungry he is, he’ll willingly wait until you are ready to feed him, just so long as you are happy with him. Now we come to cats; unlike dogs, cats live to please themselves; we are their servants and must provide them with adoration.
Perhaps cats have never forgotten how their ancestors were once worshiped by the ancient Egyptians and still consider it their due to be treated like a deity. There are many loving, affectionate cats, but they are arrogant and narcissistic. Please don’t get me wrong, I love cats, I have two now, and have had cats since I was a kid; but they are vain, self-centered creatures, if they can’t see what’s in it for them, they will not, under any circumstances, do it. Due to this attitude, it is only possible to train a cat as far as it wants to be trained. People have mistakenly taken this to be a sign of lesser intelligence; I think it shows greater intelligence, after all, most people can only be trained as far as they choose. Throw a ball and try to get your cat to fetch it, what will happen?