The age old question: cats or dogs?
Alfie Lovett draws the battle lines between those two most friendly and popular household pets...cat and dogs.
Whether you like cats or dogs, this is a question you will have been asked lots of times. Usually used as an icebreaker or a conversation topic, people can be very defensive of their favourite!
Let’s start with dogs. Dogs have been man’s best friend for over 10,000 years! This was when wolves were first domesticated and used as sled dogs, hunters, and much more in the tundra of Russia. Wolves in Europe were also domesticated, and over thousands of years they evolved to the doggy companions we have today. Lots of different breeds evolved in different places as different environments needed different adaptations, which is why you can see dogs the size of squirrels and,contrastingly, dogs nearly the size of deer. People like dogs because of the bond they form with their canine companions. They can defend the home from unwanted guests, give you lots of affection, and even help the police track down criminals. Some dogs are also trained to help blind and deaf people, and can be a very important part of their life. With their constant desire for walks, dogs can get people exercise too, whether you walk, run or cycle with them.
The biggest downside to a dog is probably the poo. Dogs poo a lot, and this requires you to be a considerate owner and scoop that poo up, whether it’s on the pavement, a small footpath, or even (horror of horrors) your sofa! Depending on the breed, they also bark a lot, and this can really annoy the neighbours, and you, when your dog is howling at the moon at quarter past midnight. Some people can get scared of dogs, so you need to always be careful who is around when you let your dog off their lead on a walk, and some dogs are vicious, so you need to make sure they are trained properly right from the time you get them at eight weeks old.
Now to cats. The king/queen of the house, and my personal favourite. Cats have been hanging around humans for over 6,000 years, when they were first attracted to villages around the Middle East by the abundance of rodents that fed on crops. Over the years, this mutual relationship developed to people having their own cats in their homes. In Ancient Egypt, cats were honoured as magical animals that brought good luck, and were treated as royalty! Cats today aren’t much different to the cats 6,000 years ago, with the main change being pelt colour. In terms of why cats are good, the main reason is their independence. You won’t need to take them for walks three times a day, or scoop their poo off the side of the road. Cats can walk themselves, venturing far outside your garden, and they have a habit of going to the loo in your annoying neighbour’s bush. They are also very soft and cute, and may reward you by curling up on your lap and giving you a loud purr, although many would argue that dogs are still the more affectionate of the two.
There are some other things worth mentioning about cats. They usually act as if they are a divine being, and their needs come before the needs of everyone else (cat people have to accept this). Also, if your cat hates your treatment, it may leave your house permanently for either another household, or go wild, which brings me on to perhaps the biggest drawback of cats – they bring rodents into the house. Yes, you may wake up one morning, go downstairs and find a rat sniffing your chair leg, or more commonly, mouse guts. Usually cats establish a place to bring their ‘gifts’ and then leave it there most mornings for you. You have been warned!
Whichever furry companion you prefer, give your pet some love today.
By Alfie Lovett, Year 10
Whether you like cats or dogs, this is a question you will have been asked lots of times. Usually used as an icebreaker or a conversation topic, people can be very defensive of their favourite!
Let’s start with dogs. Dogs have been man’s best friend for over 10,000 years! This was when wolves were first domesticated and used as sled dogs, hunters, and much more in the tundra of Russia. Wolves in Europe were also domesticated, and over thousands of years they evolved to the doggy companions we have today. Lots of different breeds evolved in different places as different environments needed different adaptations, which is why you can see dogs the size of squirrels and,contrastingly, dogs nearly the size of deer. People like dogs because of the bond they form with their canine companions. They can defend the home from unwanted guests, give you lots of affection, and even help the police track down criminals. Some dogs are also trained to help blind and deaf people, and can be a very important part of their life. With their constant desire for walks, dogs can get people exercise too, whether you walk, run or cycle with them.
The biggest downside to a dog is probably the poo. Dogs poo a lot, and this requires you to be a considerate owner and scoop that poo up, whether it’s on the pavement, a small footpath, or even (horror of horrors) your sofa! Depending on the breed, they also bark a lot, and this can really annoy the neighbours, and you, when your dog is howling at the moon at quarter past midnight. Some people can get scared of dogs, so you need to always be careful who is around when you let your dog off their lead on a walk, and some dogs are vicious, so you need to make sure they are trained properly right from the time you get them at eight weeks old.
Now to cats. The king/queen of the house, and my personal favourite. Cats have been hanging around humans for over 6,000 years, when they were first attracted to villages around the Middle East by the abundance of rodents that fed on crops. Over the years, this mutual relationship developed to people having their own cats in their homes. In Ancient Egypt, cats were honoured as magical animals that brought good luck, and were treated as royalty! Cats today aren’t much different to the cats 6,000 years ago, with the main change being pelt colour. In terms of why cats are good, the main reason is their independence. You won’t need to take them for walks three times a day, or scoop their poo off the side of the road. Cats can walk themselves, venturing far outside your garden, and they have a habit of going to the loo in your annoying neighbour’s bush. They are also very soft and cute, and may reward you by curling up on your lap and giving you a loud purr, although many would argue that dogs are still the more affectionate of the two.
There are some other things worth mentioning about cats. They usually act as if they are a divine being, and their needs come before the needs of everyone else (cat people have to accept this). Also, if your cat hates your treatment, it may leave your house permanently for either another household, or go wild, which brings me on to perhaps the biggest drawback of cats – they bring rodents into the house. Yes, you may wake up one morning, go downstairs and find a rat sniffing your chair leg, or more commonly, mouse guts. Usually cats establish a place to bring their ‘gifts’ and then leave it there most mornings for you. You have been warned!
Whichever furry companion you prefer, give your pet some love today.
By Alfie Lovett, Year 10