I'm a woman and I don't like cats. I can understand why other people like to have cats but they're not for me.

I always thought there was something wrong with Ricky Gervais. I have just seen a picture of him cuddling up to a cat. It explains a lot.

I think more men would start to love Cats if a law was passed that allowed people to keep Leopards, Lions & Jaguars...you'll soon see a sudden upsurge of Cat love.

..And a lot of eaten families thereafter.

I liked him more once I found out he liked cats. Years ago, he appeared on the Jonathan Ross show, his beloved cat had recently died and Jonathan presented him with a little kitten on the show. He was delighted and I hope he still has that cat (I believe RG now mainly lives in America).

I like men who like cats. I think there's 'something wrong' with men who dislike cats so much as you seem to

Let me say that although I'm more a dog person, I like all animals in some way (I've been plagued by guilt because I sprayed a clothes moth the other day!).

To an extent my reaction depends on the animal - there is an outstanding cat that lives near my mother that I love, however my niece and nephew have the most skittish, unfriendly cat you could ever wish to meet. It's never been mistreated - it appears to be a trait inherited from its mother.

In general dogs do objectively have a stronger and more symbiotic bond with humans than any other animal. It's been scientifically proven that dogs have evolved from wolves in a way specifically designed to respond to subconscious human behaviour and in a manner that no other domestic animal has copied. For example dogs are particularly sensitive to subconcious facial expressions and their vision (IIRC) has adapated partly for this purpose. Some of their instinctive behaviour that has diverged from that of wolves is actually designed to attract human approval (I forget the details - but I recall something about the way they've evolved to respond to eye contact).

Even anecdotally I think you can see evidence of this - not least in the way that many dogs are wusses. I've known many more dogs that I could not possibly see surviving in the wild without human help, than I have cats. It seems to me that they have retained more of their wild survival instincts and that more of them could survive perfectly happily if humans vanished from the face of the earth tomorrow.

There was a Horizon programme about the phenomenon, which detailed a host of fascinating research and experiments demonstrating the way dogs and humans have a unique link and offering theories as to how it came about (IIRC one of them was that in the Ice Age when food became scarce, runt outcast wolves started to hang around human camps for food).

Of course this is a generalisation - I accept that there are some people who prefer cats and probably feel closer to them than they would to any other animal. I'm sure there are some dogs I would get on worse with than the cat I mentioned earlier, but as I say if I was forced to choose I'd have a dog.

Have grown up with them cats and dogs since I was small, but cats win it for me.

The first dog, Sabre, had to be given away when I was small because he would try to get attack me if I he was not being watched.

When our first cat, Kitty had to be put down, I went to the vet with mum, she couldn't bear to stay in the surgery, so I stayed with Kitty to the end.

I was devastated, she was 17 I was 22. (filling up now tying this)

When our second dog passed away, I was sad, of course, but I never bonded with him like I did with Kitty.

I have my cat; The Beast now, I have posted before how he is an utter git, but he is my utter git and I love him.


Edit: because of my user name some FM's think I am female - I'm not, I'm male

Yep, me ~ and I love her

Ignore him he just enjoys winding people up.

Speaking as a female I would run a mile from any single man who prefers cats to dogs. They are usually a shade too much in touch with their feminine side. Give me a dog man any day!

Well if I am winding you up then I am enjoying that.
Personally I am sick of this thread and how it keeps coming back. Guess what, lots of people don't like cats. And lots of people do like cats. The difference on this forum is that the cat lovers can't seen to accept that others don't love cats. I have said before that I wish that DS would split this forum into Dogs, Cats and Others.
None of the dog lovers bleat on and on about how people who don't love dogs can't be trusted.
What an absolute pack of weirdos.

I like both cats and dogs. But I prefer keeping cats. I have done since I was a kid and frankly, prefer having a animal that walks itself and doesn't hang around me every waking moment...mostly

My cat loves a cuddle

Can't bare the things! Give me a dog anyday. I would not see them hurt and if their suffering I would help. My mother has a cat and when I go to visit I get on with him and love him to bits, But he senses I don't truly like the furballs.