I nearly idolized the cat of my youth, Cricket. She was seriously SO cool. She was freaking clawless (not our doing) - and still ran through the woods like a jaguar. She'd return when she was ready. She would choose the windowsill instead of my bed, and I would sit there longing for her.
I am extremely attracted to independence, which is why the cat so appeals to me. The cat doesn't need you. Occasionally likes you, but doesn't need you. Doesn't need your input, your approval, to be who they are. The more a cat runs from room to room, the more I follow. I've missed entire parties, my time spent trying to trap a host's cat in a corner.
The cat seems more refined. Cleans itself. Keeps its excrement assigned to one area. And is a famously finicky eater. I used to say, 'My god, maybe I could looove a dog, but who could ever RESPECT a dog?!! They EAT POOP! They. eat. poop. A cat would never eat poop. Wouldn't be caught dead. Wouldn't sink to that level.
My dad said (disturbingly, not too long ago), "Women are too much like cats. They have a mind of their own." Yes. Strong minds, strong personalities. Which I found the dog to be lacking. But this was before I had a dog. And now I can see things I couldn't see before. For it is not a lack of a personality that a dog has, it is that they are so personable. Friendship is not just possible with a dog, but indisputable. They want to do everything with you. They want to please you. Good luck not becoming friends with a being that lives to make you happy.
Dog is no dumber than the cat. The dog's smarts are simply attuned to people. They have figured out how to work with us, in order to not be eradicated from evolution's outstretched hand. The poop-eating thing? Well....as hard as it is for me to say it, it's just plain smart. Animal instinct = get calories where calories are good for the getting.
I find dogpeople creepier than catpeople, in general. (Though some would vehemently argue the opposite of this). Dogpeople feel they are filling a hole in a dog's life. Hell- they are a dog's life. If you disappear, he likely prefers to die, as well. Will sit by the door you used to walk through in silent vigil, may refuse to eat. Your cat? Next available applicant, please. I like my food wet and my water tepid.
Dogs care so much. Bela is squeaking the shit out of a toy and she thinks I care. She's coming over here to show me because she thinks I care. Maybe that's the grandest difference in cats and dogs. Not only do cats not think you care, they don't care. It's awesome. You are held in high respect without being held to be anything. But there is a beauty in the easier acquisition of affection. The simplicity in garnering a dog's love. Feed them, walk them, let them near you on the couch. It feels good to have a magic equation. When pleasing others can be so tough, this one you've got in the can.
I like a dog who's a bit unruly. Because our ability to command them bothers me. It bothers me that an animal will listen to what I tell it to do. No one likes a mindless order-taker. I want to be questioned, so that I can further question myself.
So then...it would seem that my preference lies in outliers. I like the cats who will act like I'm their bitch (but come round and love on me endlessly, every now and then) - and the dogs who will live up to their reputation, with an occasional wrestling of the wills.
Alterations we love to make in life. 'If I could just tweak this', we say. 'If I could just change that.'
With animals, we can't. We can do our damndest, but the results are out of our hands. So we attempt to love them as they are. Which is the greatest battle of all.
