From NYTimes: Cats are Internet's "It" animal

[Tallison]

Searched the lounge for this topic and didn't find anything, so I presume I'm not double-posting about it (I apologize if I am). F

From today's NYTimes online edition, the following headline article:

"Internet's Best Friend (Let Me Count the Ways)"
By SARAH BOXER
Published: July 30, 2005

On the Web you'll find the Infinite Cat Project but no Infinite Dog. My Cat Hates You is big on the Web, but there is no site named My Dog Hates You. (Dogs Hate Bush exists, but then so does Cats Hate Bush.) As any good Web hound can tell you, Rathergood.com is filled with crazy crooning cats. But where, oh where, are the singing dogs? (New Guinea singing dogs, a real breed, do not count.)

Cats are the Web's it-animals. They're everywhere. When you look up Devil Cats, you'll see comics about cat owners who love too much and the cats that cheat on them. Look up Devil Dogs, and you'll be offered apparel for the Marine Corps and information about Drake's cakes. Under the heading "Animal Antics," ifilm.com has four "Viral Videos" of cats, none of dogs. There are tons of badly drawn cats at www.tiddles.co.uk, but there's no such site for dogs.

Why cats and not dogs?

article continued...
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/30/arts/30cats.html?hp

[DELUSIONAL]

1. Cats rule -- dogs drool

I type this with a Chihuahua on my lap -- but then she LOVES LOVES cats.

[Tallison]

2. If it can fit on our lap

it's an honorary cat... :P

[DELUSIONAL]

3. her cats certainly accept her as a cat

And her buddy cat makes sure she has all her daily walks -- which he must supervise.

[Tallison]

4. Ha! She probably thinks she's one of them!

:7

[silverweb]

5. **Perhaps** it's an honorary cat.

Then again....

[Tallison]

8. You sound underwhelmed by the proposal

I think most small dogs could use a slip of Valium, myself.

Contemplative looking kitties you have there. Mine sometimes reinvent trigonometry. :D

[Tallison]

9. Holy shit

Just did a second take at you picture post...
:rofl:
Any coincidence which the non-contemplative looking one is?!?

[silverweb]

12. *LOL*

It takes a double-take, doesn't it?

:7

[silverweb]

11. As someone else already said...

Dogs drool, cats rule.

However, I love German shepherds and beagles. I just don't happen to have any canine pets.

The animals in the picture aren't mine, unfortunately. I have only one, undisputed queen of the realm, who would promptly eat any who dared try to share her domain. Here's my possessively loving, adorable furball:

[Tallison]

13. Damn, picture wouldn't download

But if it's of a cat, I'd bet that it's serene, beautiful, and silly, all wrapped up in a paradoxical little furball.

[silverweb]

15. Bingo.

Everything you said and then some!

Picture is fixed now.

:D

[Tallison]

25. What a cutie! Thanks!

Reminds me of the cat of another poster here (can't remember whose name) who has four adorable toirtiseshells on her sig line, one of whom (Trinity) passed away recently.

[silverweb]

31. CatWoman?

Just guessing. I know the sig line you mean, tho.

[Tallison]

33. Catwoman...I think so.

Go figure I'd remember the cat over the poster. Classic cat person moment! :crazy:

[zanne]

30. I love that picture!

It took awhile before I realized that was a Pomeranian!

[silverweb]

32. *LOL*

Yes, it takes two or three glances.

:D

[Spider Jerusalem]

6. Simple reason:

People who use the Internet are likely to be more intelligent and more introverted, which means they're more likely to have cats as pets than dogs. :)

[Tallison]

7. Well, that would explain why cat people

tend to be Democrats, as well... :D

[REP]

18. Cats Are Clean, Beautiful and Elegant (Usually)

Dogs are nice enough, but they're goofy and they do have that odor problem.

[Greyhound]

19. Oh please, cats are much stinkier than dogs. n/t

[REP]

20. Suuuuuuuuuuuure. Keep Telling Yourself That

That's why the expression, "Smells like a wet cat" is so common, eh?

[Tallison]

24. Uh, are you high?

If so, gimme some...I'm out! :(

[Greyhound]

36. Sorry, no dry season here yet, and remind me to never do a wine tasting

with you. Your olfactory sense is clearly shot. Probably from massive overdoses of ammonia. B-)

[Tallison]

38. Watch out

My kitties are on their way to steal your damn breath...

[Greyhound]

39. lol sure thing...

My gaurd bunnies will take care of the kitties. :mad:

[Arugula Latte]

40. Are you kiddin' me? Dogs stink to high heaven compared to cats

Dog breath, dog crap, dog fur -- all infinitely stinkier than nice clean kitties.

[hickman1937]

10. Cat's are the total democrat. Cranky, individualistic, can't be

herded. Don't come when their called, and piss in your shoes if you piss them off enough. I still think that Dem's way outnumber pukes. Some have just become confused. The cat numbers tell the story.

[Tallison]

14. Cats are definitely of a progressive temperament

that I aspire to match. They're totems in our house.

[JackDragna]

16. Hey, don't bag on dogs.

Dogs have a good liberal trait going for them: most of the domesticated ones love everyone, no matter who they are. We could do with a bit more of that in the world.

[hickman1937]

17. Dogs can't be defined in political terms.

Pure love. Maybe their the teachers.

[Tallison]

22. I enjoy dogs, although

I've never personally had one, and to that extent I probably speak for most dog non-owners. On the other hand, how many cat non-owners do you know who "hate cats"? It seems that I hear this from one out of three people who learn that I have them. Why is it cats seem to illicit such stronger negative feelings in people than dogs? Never got that.

[sir_captain]

21. Dog owners are more likely to be spending time with their dogs

since they have so much more personable pets. I've sure spent a lot more time on here since my dog died.

[Tallison]

23. More personable? I disagree

Higher-maintenance to interact with, yes (and that's not a criticism of dogs; it's an objective fact). If you're going to interact with a dog, that's probably all you're going to be doing. If you had a cat you could spend time at the computer with him or her. I can't keep my boy off my lap when I'm typing; in, fact, he's here right now and quite content-seeming!

Sorry to hear you lost your beloved dog. All pets are like family members. :hug:

Edit for spell

[Greyhound]

37. So sorry, they make such a large emptyness when they go. :(

[Pharlo]

26. Simple, anyone who loves a dog

will be unconditionally and demonstratively loved in return. Cats aren't like that - you can love a cat and it can love you in return, but the ONLY capitulation it may make in regards to the human sharing its home space is tolerance.

Some people are too insensitive to realize that if the animal isn't fawning over you any time you're present, it may still love you. As a result, some people have problems with cats, and don't like them.

Since the vast majority of people like dogs, there tend to be an overwhelming amount of pro-dog sites.

Since cats are disliked by as many people as those who like them, there are going to be a more equitable amount of pro-cat and anti-cat sites, setting up a cat controversy. Hence, more cat sites available.

(And any 'non-cat' people who are inquiring how a person knows if a cat who merely tolerates their presence loves them, has only to observe how a cat with this type of personality responds to people it does not love... I have seen people stalked and terrorized.)

[Tallison]

27. Stalked and terrorized?

Most cats I know wouldn't deign waste the energy. Cats are energy-conservative, another very progressive quality of theirs! :)

[Pharlo]

28. Yep, I've had a couple

who if they didn't like a person would stalk them. The entire time they were in the house, the cat followed them - never took their eyes off of the visitors. Whenever someone sat down, the cat would perch as close to (and slightly above) the person as possible, then start spitting and hissing, and extending their claws. They really gave the impression they were going to attack. Never did though.

But, yeah, I've also had the type that could care less if humans existed as long as there was food in the dish, water in the dish, and a hand to pet it when it wanted to be petted. BUT, even they were fussy about which hand petted them. :)

[silverweb]

29. Mischief has attacked only one.

Her jealousy was readily apparent. He was a boyfriend for a while, who had a key to the front door. Once, he came in unannounced, whereupon the cat launched herself from the back of the sofa to his chest, all four sets of talons extended. I had to pry her off of him while he screamed.

I still laugh about it. He's long gone. The cat is a great judge of character.

:D

[Tallison]

34. Reminds me of a song

a folk singer out of Asheville, NC wrote about her animals' judge of character when it came to her suitors in life called "Four paws yes, two paws no." Wish I could remember her name, Christine something. Very witty with terrific guitar chops. :)

[caty]

35. Cats are the puurrfect pet.

They love and need us, but if for some reason we are not around, they can manage for awhile without us. I love dogs, but they are much more dependent on us.

[Lorien]

41. Maybe it's simply because people who spend a lot of time

on the web (indoors) are more likely to own cats? Cats have also replaced dogs as america's most popular pet; I think that has to do more with the demands of living in this country than anything else. I grew up strictly as a "dog person", but once I got a full time job and an apartment, it was cats, ferrets, or no pet at all. Cats fit into a busy schedule and limited resources more easily than dogs. I hope that someday I can keep dogs again, but somehow I doubt that I will ever be down to a 40 hour work week, so that may not be possible. :-(

[Shell Beau]

42. Well I love all animals, but you couldn't pay me enough to

trade my beautiful, loving, loyal, protective dogs for any cat any day!! :crazy: :shrug: