How Two Common Household Pets Can Be So Different

  Posted on January 9, 2015  by Joy of Living  No comments

Bolt, the Yorkie-Poo guest blogger: I am supposed to get my rabies shot soon, but I am trying to avoid going to the vet for the moment by focusing on my work. I hate needles! Why do I need a rabies shot? I won’t bite! Since I am putting off the inevitable, I should at least educate our readers for a moment and dish about a fun topic today. My choice? The incredible differences between two common house pets!

Even though dogs and cats are the most common of household pet companions for many similar reasons, there are also many interesting differences between these two creatures, and I am here to give you the scoop on that today!

According to an article on healthypets.mercola.com, when it comes to training dogs vs. training cats, the dogs win the award!

Some dogs can be trained in a matter of minutes with the basic commands of “come,” “sit,” and “stay.” Have you ever tried any of those words with a cat? Enough said! However, they do know how to use a litter box right away, but that is due more to instinct than anything else. That being said, dogs do take longer to housebreak and it can be a very intensive project. (That is code for: stock up on cleaning supplies!)

It’s pretty common knowledge that dogs are social creatures. They want to be with the pack…wherever that pack might be and whomever it might include. Cats? Yeah…pretty solitary creatures in comparison and they tend to be more attached to their territory as opposed to other animals or people.

Unlike cats, dogs are grounded in the sense that they cannot jump and climb as easily as cats can. As such, cats have more options when they want to hunt for food or feel threatened in any way and need to escape the situation. (However, dogs have 42 teeth and cats just have 30! If they feel threatened, they are more prone to act with aggression as opposed to fleeing. You have been warned!)

When it comes to hunting prey, dogs go the distance. They will hunt down and engage in some long distance running if necessary to catch their prey. However, cats prefer the element of surprise and will sneak up on their prey. They prefer to sprint!

And when they can’t get food, dogs can go longer periods of time without such sustenance than cats can. Dogs can rely on their fat reserves, whereas cats do not efficiently burn those reserves and as a result, their bodies can begin to break down the non-fatty tissues for energy, which can lead to hepatic lipidosis, a potentially life-threatening condition of the liver.

And if you ever do something stupid or make a fool of yourself in front of your cat, well, bear in mind they can remember things for up to 16 hours. A dog will forget after five minutes!

Now…what was I supposed to do today?