The difference between cats and dogs

This entry is part 8 of 11 in the series Furbaby Diaries

The difference between cats and dogs

A friend on Facebook – possibly a punster like Paul Mannering? I forget who now though – posted the above image with 6 signs you are actually a cat. I laughed. And couldn’t help but compare with Silkie who seems to be very cat-like at times. So I thought I’d post it here and talk about the similarities and differences between cats and dogs – or at least my dog!

If you had it your way, you job would be to nap!

In my opinion this applies to both species. I’ve been surprised at how much of the day Silkie spends lying around, either asleep or just chilling.
You are secretly judging people all the time.

This also applies to both but the outcomes are different. Silkie loves some people so it’s all about the pats. When she doesn’t like you she might just stay away from you, she might literally hide behind me or – in one instance last week – she might rush forward to then stop and urinate on your doorstep. Kudos Silkie!
You prefer to be left alone.

Nope. This is definitely not true for Silkie for 99% of the time although she sometimes enjoys a solo sunbake. However, our cats are – at times – also affectionate. And seem to be increasingly jealous of Silkie, to the point where they’re asking more often for pats and scritches, even demanding them!
You are angry and aloof for no apparently reason.

Silkie is super cuddly and friendly – unless you’re a horrible person who, for example, KICKS HER (shall not be named), or a Small Human (but Silkie is getting over her fear of Small Humans), or a person with a vicious dog. Aurora and Meteor like to be independent, prefer not to be picked up unless they request it, and also like LIMITED pats and scritches. I reckon the cats are both introverts although they enjoy attention on their schedule. But Silkie is an extrovert.
You suck at making decisions.

Actually, Silkie’s pretty damned good at making decisions. Leaving a strip shopping center, she remembered where the car was parked last time and INSISTED we go there. We weren’t headed in that direction but SHE WAS SO SURE I WAS GOING THE WRONG WAY. It was adorable. Other times she says “there are two ways we go, which one today?” And, on other days, she says “I want to go THIS WAY” – like today, when I said “Find Dobinsons” and Silkie’s response was “Let’s go down the travellator so then we can come back up THEN go to Dobinson’s”. Because she loves travelling on the escalator and travellator as much as little kids like going on the rides at shopping centers. Cheeky puppy.

And, in relation to the image of a cat in a box next to the nice comfy cat bed, that’s not Silkie, no, not at all. If given a choice, she’d sleep on our bed at night. Right now she’s lying on the “futon” I bought for those nights when hubby’s snoring keeps me awake. The futon is folded up so it’s dog-bed-sized, which makes it about 4 times thicker than Silkie’s dog-futon!
You are always hungry and wanting people to feed you.

Totally legit and 100% true for Silkie and Meteor. However, if given a choice, Aurora – despite being a cat – will prioritize hunting and hunting games over food. Unless it’s wet meat or tuna. Quite often she’ll be the last to start eating a meal, which is only possible because the cat foot is in a room with a childproof/dogproof gate so Silkie can’t eat it first.