Is it me? Why more support for dog rescue than cat rescue?

[yellowbritches]

[QUOTE=ASBJumper;8879624]
Ratio is similar at my local HS. And yet - every time I (just out of sheer curiosity) have a peek at the profiles of the dogs for adoption, there are always “issues” - can’t be around kids, can’t be around cats, can’t be in an apartment, needs obedience classes, needs a high-energy, active owner, needs a breed-experienced owner, and on and on and on… and the cat descriptions, by and large, are all “i’m loveable and sweet, i’m a bit shy but love to sit on your lap and purr, I love to sit by the window and look outside, I love to play, etc” bla bla bla…

It’s mind-boggling to me that what is, let’s be honest here, a super high maintenance pet in general (a dog) is vastly more popular and evokes such sympathy and googly eyes when all I can think to myself is “jeebus what a royal pain in the a$$, no THANK you!!”

Anyways, that’s just a personal gut reaction, though… to each their own, I know. I am a die hard cat person - even though I absolutely appreciate and enjoy the company of a well-behaved, well-trained dog (sooo far and few in between, though… and they always smell icky). [/QUOTE]
You make a VERY good point.

[yellowbritches]

And you’re right about dogs being high maintenance. I ADORE my dogs. But, let’s take tomorrow for example. I will be leaving early and getting home late, as I go on a day trip for a friend’s birthday. I have to arrange for someone to come let the dogs out or take them for a walk. The cats? They will need nothing. If they’re around, they’ll get some love, but that’s it. I could be gone all weekend and not need them to be checked on. The dogs, on the other hand…

[Sswor]

Dogs are like perma-toddlers.

Cats are like a potted plant that passes judgement on you.

It’s not too hard to sell someone on boundless, unconditional love in return for a little nurturing and household destruction. It’s difficult to convince people they need a judgemental, beautiful thing that may or may not urinate everywhere and destroy your house.

To each their own but seems a pretty clear choice for many.

[Rain]

[QUOTE=Sswor;8879819]
It’s difficult to convince people they need a judgemental, beautiful thing that may or may not urinate everywhere and destroy your house.[/QUOTE]

This is a ridiculous statement. I have three cats and am on my ninth foster. None of my furniture has been destroyed, and in fact it was my DOG who chewed a hole in the carpet as a teenager. There’s not a single claw mark on anything I own, nor do the cats “urinate everywhere.” NINE fosters and NOT ONE has ever failed to use the litterbox.

Judgmental? That’s in your mind, because last I checked, cats can’t speak or write, so how do you know what they’re thinking?

But I’ll agree with you on the beautiful part!

[GraceLikeRain]

[QUOTE=Sswor;8879819]
Dogs are like perma-toddlers.

Cats are like a potted plant that passes judgement on you.

It’s not too hard to sell someone on boundless, unconditional love in return for a little nurturing and household destruction. It’s difficult to convince people they need a judgemental, beautiful thing that may or may not urinate everywhere and destroy your house.

To each their own but seems a pretty clear choice for many.[/QUOTE]

LOL. I’ve got some darn good cats but I’ve certainly met some judgmental potted plants including a failed foster that I “gifted” to my parents. Cat urine is also in a whole other league in terms of staying power and sheer odor.

I actually think cats are becoming more popular with millenials. I see a ton of social media coverage that is really highlighting the joys of their unique personalities and fun attributes.

For the record the cats have done far more destruction in my homes than the dog but I still love them.

[toady123]

Regardless of what cats or dogs are REALLY like, I think a lot of people think dogs are easier.

I also think there are fewer dogs (perhaps this is regional - certainly in my area it’s true) so it makes finding them homes easier. Spay/neuter for dogs in my area is pretty much standard. On the other hands there are a ton of cats running around intact which causes the population to explode. So even if there is interested in adoption, the shelters are overrun.

All the shelters in my area have FREE adoption drives for cats all the time because they just can’t get rid of them quick enough.

[redalter]

I posted this upthread, but wanted to mention it again.

A couple of months ago I contacted several organizations and veterinarians in the area will to do low cost/free spay and neuters for feral and semi feral cats. I compiled the list, then mailed it out to a ten mile radius near me. I figured if I could make it easier, people might be more willing to do it.

I did include a couple organizations that would come out to your property, and trap for you. I noted each organization, the services offered, approximate cost, and contact info.

[ASBJumper]

@Sswor;8879819

Cats are like a potted plant that passes judgement on you.

And there you have it, folks.

Excuse me while I fiddle around to retrieve my eyeballs that just rolled waaay back into my head. :mad:

The vast, vast majority of cats I have met in my lifetime, around the world, are not remotely like that.

Aww hell, even the FERAL cats i encountered by the dozens in the ruins and cobble stoned streets of Turkey and Greece were insanely friendly and gentle (yes, I realize it was probably foolish to try to pet them, but remember that i just posted about being a diehard cat person). Even the skinny, scraggly strays that wandered up to me at beachfront restaurants or hotels in the Caribbean and Africa were rubbing against my legs and purring happily when i pet them.

And here’s something important to remember - many, MANY cats are not fed or cared for properly. Cheap, free-fed kibble makes for fat, unhealthy, unhappy cats a lot of the time. So yeah - maybe those ones are looking at you with what you view as contempt because they feel like crap. And maybe you deserve it.

My parents had to replace $15 000 worth of ruined carpet in their rental home when they rented out to a family with two big dogs who pissed and vomited everywhere (dogs were acquired after rental agreement was signed - my parents had verbally asked if they had pets, were told no… grr.). So - both dogs and cats can have bad potty habits. Neither is “more likely” to, IMHO.

[yellowbritches]

Yep. My cats are joys. I do joke about them being A-holes, but in reality, my dogs and horses are, too. But my cats are charming, friendly, silly, and just a total joy to have around. Most of the cats I’ve met over the years have been more or less the same.

And my big dog is hardly a toddler. She is more “cat like” than my cats. Animals have different personalities, just like us, no matter the species.

My “judgement all potted plants:” Here’s Bobby having a big old snugglefest with my little dog- https://instagram.com/p/BK3UeGCjYW2/

And my whole crew out for a walk- https://instagram.com/p/BI5SSqsDNaT/.

And, for giggles, a cat plant. https://instagram.com/p/tICcAxFoH6/

[furlong47]

[QUOTE=Velvet;8874762]
Maybe cats have a bad rep because many cat owners are worse than many dog owners? Meaning, many people with cats think they need to run free, and what they do is kill wildlife or run out in the street, etc. So people get annoyed? I don’t know, I like cats. Then again, I don’t want one because I won’t declaw it, and I don’t want my furniture torn up. I can control the dog when it comes to furniture, cats will sharpen their claws on anything. Or maybe it’s that cats often give off the attitude that they don’t need people, and dogs usually act like that can’t live without people? Just some thoughts off the top of my head. I don’t really know. :)[/QUOTE]

You realize cats that have already been declawed by someone else end up in the shelter too, right? You could always adopt one of them. I live in an apartment. There’s a stupid rule that cats must be declawed. I would never declaw a cat, but I can’t do anything to reverse it if someone else already did so. So both of my cats came to me with it already done. In an ideal world there would be no declawed cats for me to adopt. But in reality, I can give a home to one.

[aurora171989]

I agree with all the points in here, and would also like to say cats rule, dogs drool

[LauraO]

Doesn’t anyone here like BOTH cats and dogs? Why does it have to be one or the other?

Today, I have 1 dog and 1 cat. Shortly, I will be back up to 2 dogs again and I am strongly considering a kitten to go with the puppy. Clearly, I derive great joy from chaos.

I also like ferrets, but don’t own any right now. They are delightful funny critters.

[aurora171989]

Personally for me it depends on the dog. I don’t automatically dislike all dogs, it just depends.

[ASBJumper]

[QUOTE=aurora171989;8880269]
Personally for me it depends on the dog. I don’t automatically dislike all dogs, it just depends.[/QUOTE]

Ditto. Like I said, on the rare occasion I meet a friendly, sweet well-behaved dog that doesn’t leap on me, paw my clothes or sniff my crotch or bark incessantly, I love on it - lots of scritches and love for those dogs. But they are rare, though (and i blame people for that - most people are stupid and lazy, LOL).

[dressagetraks]

[QUOTE=ASBJumper;8880334]
Ditto. Like I said, on the rare occasion I meet a friendly, sweet well-behaved dog that doesn’t leap on me, paw my clothes or sniff my crotch or bark incessantly, I love on it - lots of scritches and love for those dogs. But they are rare, though (and i blame people for that - most people are stupid and lazy, LOL).[/QUOTE]

Agreed. I like all animals, but I must say, the average cat in my experience is far more likeable than the average dog.

Also agree with the above regarding owners being to blame for a good bit of that with the dogs. I do enjoy well-behaved dogs and loved the Lad books and other such dog books when I was a kid.

[Perfect10]

[QUOTE=Sswor;8879819]
Dogs are like perma-toddlers.

Cats are like a potted plant that passes judgement on you.

It’s not too hard to sell someone on boundless, unconditional love in return for a little nurturing and household destruction. It’s difficult to convince people they need a judgemental, beautiful thing that may or may not urinate everywhere and destroy your house.

To each their own but seems a pretty clear choice for many.[/QUOTE]

Cats are nothing like a potted plant. They are affectionate, loving creatures with needs just like dogs. Just because they aren’t necessarily in your face about it ALL THE TIME like dogs doesn’t mean they desire affection less. 7 out of my 9 would love to sit in your lap and snuggle all day. The other two are semi feral and scared of people, but enjoy a good pet now and then.

Cats are also MUCH neater and less likely to mess up your house than a dog. If you have a litter box and a scratching post, they are likely to be little to no work to train. A cat urinating everywhere is a cat with health issues or one that is very uncomfortable in it’s living situation. A cat who scratches inappropriately has not been trained where is an appropriate place to scratch. This is just like dogs that you have to train not to chew your shoes and go to the bathroom outside. The cats just usually understand much faster

[GraceLikeRain]

@LauraO;8880258

Doesn’t anyone here like BOTH cats and dogs? Why does it have to be one or the other?

Three cats and a dog over here. If we had a few fenced acres and I worked from home I’d probably have at least two more cats and another dog. Since we do indoor only cats, we are really capped at three unless we had a situation where we could build a large outdoor enclosed space for playtime or have a massive screened in porch.

[yellowbritches]

[QUOTE=LauraO;8880258]
Doesn’t anyone here like BOTH cats and dogs? Why does it have to be one or the other? [/QUOTE]
When asked if I’m a dog or cat person, I say I’m an animal person. I adore dogs AND cats, and a variety of other things. Would love a pet rat or two and miss having a reptile. Animals are fun, and I love having them in my life, doesn’t matter what they are.

[ElisLove]

@toady123;8879943

Regardless of what cats or dogs are REALLY like, I think a lot of people think dogs are easier.

Really? I can’t imagine anyone thinking that dogs are easier in almost any way than cats. Dogs need so much more care in almost all ways. You can’t go away for a whole day without someone to at least letting your dogs out. I’ve looked after my friend’s cats a few times. If she’s gone for a week I might check on the cats twice (per her request) to make sure they have food and water. When I was away for 2.5 days I had to find 3 different people (due to their schedules and having a 5 month old puppy that needed to go out more often than a adult dog) to help care for my dogs with one person staying overnight.

[Sswor]

Potted plants require a great deal of care. Feeding, watering, trimming, repotting as needed, treating for parasites and pest, training and nurturing. A good potted plant is also not in your face and they will also sit beside you at your desk. Some of them are quite beautiful and come in many different colors and patterns.