The Top 5 myths about cats
There has never been a time in my life when I've not been around cats and/or dogs. I enjoy the company of both, and understand as much as anyone the loyalty humans develop for their pets. It doesn't really come as a surprise to hear pet owners who are particular to one or the other to hail the merits of that species. However, having been blessed with both in my lifetime, I will say I find it very humorous the exaggerated claims cat owners sometimes make in comparing the virtues of felines over canines. Don't get me wrong; I love cats and can't imagine a time when we won't have at least one in our home. But these claims are so ridiculous at times the person making them evidently has not only a species bias but probably a very frail grasp on reality.
Here is my compiled list of the Top 5 of these myths:
Myth # 5 Cats are smarter than dogs
How many times have you had to double-check the dryer before pushing the switch on just to be 100% sure Fido or Spot isn't in there with the wet laundry? Most likely NEVER. Cats on the other hand will stealthily sneak in there as you load the wet items from washer to dryer without so much as a meow or hiss. As if they want a whirl around in the permanent press. And who knows, perhaps they do? We have to remember this is the animal that will also sashay under a moving rocking chair with tail swinging or decide to climb to the highest boughs of a tree when they have no idea how to return to earth again. The same genius pet that runs flying into the kitchen and leaps
into the hot oven just as soon as your hands are preoccupied with lifting out that
heavy Thanksgiving turkey. Yep, real Einsteins.
Myth #4 Cats are very clean
Sure, most cats will use the litter box. But this doesn't stop them from using floor vents as secondary commodes, dining room tables as their personal hairball-vomit depositories and bathroom sinks as a lounges.
Myth #3 Cats are independent
Admittedly, a feral cat can be independent out of necessity. But there are many that survive strictly on the kindness of strangers until that stranger either moves away or dies, in which case they will inevitably begin looking for that next kind person to beg their meals off of.
House cats rarely have a use for the expression "fend for yourself". Not that house cats are prone to begging..its more like demanding, and in some cases outright bullying to get what their stomachs want. And heaven forbid it isn't the right brand. Our cats have one and all got the run-between-their-feet-and-make-them-trip trick down to an art form and use it lavishly on their human underlings.
Myth #2 Unlike gluttonous dogs a cat knows when to walk away from the food dish
If a picture speaks a thousand words, this should explain why "fat cat" is a popular expression while "rotund dog" isn't.
Myth #1 Cats are proud
I don't know who originally started this particular myth, but it runs rampant throughout elitist cat-lover communities. And having had as many cats as I've had I could be more easily convinced of little green men from Mars or the Keebler Elves than believe in the existence of a proud cat.
Look at our Bootsie here. Now what proud feline would have let himself fall asleep in such a vulnerable position? Why any lowlife with an empty beer can and camera on hand could have taken advantage of the situation and posted this embarrassing photo on the 'net. Shameful, isn't it? Be on your guard, Bootsie, next time it'll be a cigar and a men's magazine.
