Is it ok to hate cats and still be a gamer?

[Blood Jester]

I have never understood the mentality (that I have almost only seen coming from self-professed "dog people") that you either like cats or dogs.

But not both.

I love them both, I am an "animal person" not a dog or a cat person.
I currently only have cats because they are lower maintenance, and I am very busy, but I have had both, and likely will again.

 

[James McMurray]

I have never understood the mentality (that I have almost only seen coming from self-professed "dog people") that you either like cats or dogs.

But not both.

I love them both, I am an "animal person" not a dog or a cat person.
I currently only have cats because they are lower maintenance, and I am very busy, but I have had both, and likely will again.

Ditto.

 

[+5 Keyboard!]

Any theories?

Well, I think this kind of sums it up:

{snip} I currently only have cats because they are lower maintenance, and I am very busy. {snip}

Dogs tend to be more of a responsibility like having children. Cats are pretty independent and are more like having a roommate. So, it depends on what you want out of your relationship with your animal companion. YMMV, as they say.

 

[was]

I've only met a couple of gamers who had cats

 

[Gothmog]

Yep, I loathe cats and I'm allergic to them. As many people have pointed out, they are selfish, evil little bastards who can maul a commoner.

Seriously, I think there is a lot to gamers having cats because they are low maintainence, and its shows in a lot of the gamers I have known who are cat fanatics who shirk many responsibilities. The cat gamers I have known houses reek of kitty litter and cat pee, and they don't tend to be the most hygenic people. Cats also step through their own wastes and then get on tables, furniture, and eating surfaces, and their owners think its cute- its just nasty and a health hazard. Cats licking their paws doesn't clean them of the bacteria- it simply transfers it to their mouths so cat bites often become infected, and their saliva isn't as strongly antibacterial as many other carnivores. Cat owners always try to say cats are so intelligent and independent, while in fact the opposite is true- cats are not social creatures and don't understand a group or family bond. They tend to panic easily, have fear aggression problems where they injure their owners or other people, and I've seen several cats die of panic and shock when their owners have moved into a new home. Numerous ethological studies have shown dogs are MUCH smarter than cats with the capability for complex social interaction and problem solving (as a whole- there are some really stupid dogs out there too).

So yes, hating cats and being a gamer is perfectly acceptable.

 

[ShadowDenizen]

Add me to the "Cat-hate" crowd. (Being allergic certainly factors in to that, though!!)

 

[Fishbone]

2 cats, two dogs. And the only reason I like the cats is because they behave like dogs. They answer to their names, do tricks, run up to me when I come home from school, lick my face, etc.
I dislike all other dogs and cats that aren't MY dogs and cats.

 

[Umbran]

Cat owners always try to say cats are so intelligent and independent, while in fact the opposite is true- cats are not social creatures and don't understand a group or family bond.

Gothmog, I understand you don't like cats, and you're free to not like them. However, on this matter you are factually, scientifically incorrect. You are holding to a view of felines that has, in the past decade or two, been found to be wrong.

When left to their own devices, housecats live in colonies, and are social. We have bred them to be social, and it is not unnatural to the feline family (lions are quite social). They are not dogs, and have their own behaviors, but they are social nontheless.

They tend to panic easily, have fear aggression problems where they injure their owners or other people

Any animal can have fear and aggression problems. It is no more common with cats than with dogs. If you don't handle either probperly, you'll get hurt.

Numerous ethological studies have shown dogs are MUCH smarter than cats with the capability for complex social interaction and problem solving (as a whole- there are some really stupid dogs out there too).

Cites, please. Because my veterinarian wife, who makes her living caring for both cats and dogs, and has studied their behavior and mentation professionally, has not seen such. Given that there is no well-accepted definition of "smart" to begin with, I doubt you'll find a study that can provide an overall quantitative comparison of intelligence between species.

In any event, having social abilty is not a measure of intelligence. Otherwise, ants, bees, and sheep (all of whom have coimples social interactions) would be considered geniuses.

So yes, hating cats and being a gamer is perfectly acceptable.

It is fine to dislike a type of animal. "Hate" is a pretty strong word, but well enough, I suppose. You don't need to justify it.

 

[Tauric]

wow, I think someone was bitten as a child.

Count me as an animal person. Right now I have a dog. The only reason I don't have a cat now it that I'm rather fond of breathing and seeing, and if I touch a cat my eyes get red and itchy and I sneeze gale force winds.

But I'm stupid. When I go to my wife's cousin's house (they have three cats), I put on gloves and a hospital mask to play with the kitties.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Eh. I'm neutral. I love dogs, but I don't really hate cats.

What I do hate is the tenancy of some cat owners to get super-arrogant about cats being the bestest of all. Like they need to defend their choice of fuzzball. I've never met a dog owner who has been that adamant that every other animal is half-retarded next to dogs, but cat owners...there's such a mythos around the beasts for some reason.

Which is why I love to trot out dog intelligence studies every once in a while. I could cite octopuses or pigeons, too. I mean, cats can use a toilet, but they can't help a blind man navigate a busy city street, despite all their magic powers.

I've got some big affection for cats (I've lived with a few in my life), but I have an intense dislike for probably about 50% of the cat owners I've met who seem to take some sort of self-validation in their critter. And despite knowing pretty much just as many dog owners, I don't know of anyone who is that invested in their dog's abilities as a factor of their own ego.