I saw a short article in a local paper today about American attitudes
about cats. (I think it was limited to the US just because that's
where the writer is from. I would not assume that his conclusions can
be applied directly to other countries.)

The idea was the cats are America's second-class pets, according to
mainstream social attitudes in this country. Although cats are the
#1 pet in terms of numbers, that doesn't mean they're the most highly
respected pet. I've long suspected this myself. I think a lot of people
get cats because either they live in a situation where they can't have
a dog, or, even more likely, they're too busy. And they figure that a
cat doesn't need much attention. You know, dogs are a lot of work, but
cats are "easy". (Anyone who says this has never tried to groom or
give medication to a cat!)

The information was sad - apparently dogs get vet care in far higher
percentages than cats do. Cats are surrendered to shelters more often
than dogs, and for much more "stupid" reasons (according to the writer -
but I agree). Cats who end up in shelters, who have obviously been
someone's pet, are far less likely to be reunited with their humans
than dogs who are in shelters under the same circumstances.

Other bits of evidence of this differential were things like popular
images of cats vs dogs - cats are portrayed as sneaky or lazy, dogs as
loyal and heroic. It's much more common to see harm coming to a cat in
fiction than to a dog, as though they're more dispensable. Also, there's
a whole lot more veterinary research done on canine health than feline -
this has been true historically and is still true now.

The article didn't deny that millions of people adore cats. But in
spite of that, the average person on the street thinks more highly of
dogs than cats.

I myself have always noticed something on Animal Planet. When watching
either one of the animal cop shows, or veterinary ER, I've noticed that
the tone of the narration, the discussions among the people involved
(animal officers or vets and techs), and even the background music all
have a different quality and convey a different attitude, depending on
whether the animal is a dog or cat.

For example, the crimes against dogs are almost always portrayed as
terrible and serious (which they are), but that isn't always the case
with cats. In situations where no crime has been committed, such as a
dog stuck in deep ditch or a cat stuck in the tree, the former is
usually shown with the seriousness of rescuing a human. But the latter -
cat in a tree - is often shown as almost humorous. This is just my own
impression, but I've formed this opinion over several years of watching
these shows.

Oh, a word of warning for anyone who likes horror/suspense/thriller
type movies: DO NOT see a movie called "Untraceable". It's about a
sadist who tortures someone in front of a camera hooked up to a
website. Every time someone clicks on the link to the site, the
person's pain increases and they come closer to dying.

To introduce us to this character, they show him trying out his
technique on - you guessed it - a kitten. I didn't read the details
about that - I saw something about "kitten torture" and sailed
right on by that paragraph. Just thought I'd spread the word, in
case this type of movie appeals to anyone. (I'm glad it didn't appeal
to me - I do like scary movies, but that one sounded too gruesome.)

--
Joyce ^..^

(To email me, remove the X's from my user name.)