Troutbirder II

Troutbirder II
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Sunday, December 13, 2020

Cats and dogs


Cats and dogs

Well, dear fellow bloggers, it seems as though my prediction that icy cold Minnesota weather and my vertigo would limit my nature photography and blogging. Thus Troutbirder has ventured into more personal domains and even the occasional rant. Today I present cats and dogs. A somewhat controversial subject.

As the picture shows dogs are well disciplined by their masters. Cats on the other hand are either brave or foolish in the face of a potential enemy. Also wildly independent.
I begin by noting Mrs. T and I had a beloved house cat for 18 years named Simba. Previous to that two other cats named Tiger and a black cat named after a black revolutionary.  Unfortunately, both were run over by a neighbor on the road behind our house chasing endangered birds. We also had four hunting dogs and two German shepherds, Baron and now Lily.
As this picture indicates German Shepard dogs and other breeds can be organized into teams. As individual they would have a much more difficult time and often can't survive without humans. But working as a team they can be dangerous predators killing large animals like deer. 

It seems a librarian and I disagreed about the merits of dogs and cats. She would relentlessly prove the superiority of cats over dogs in hundreds of ways. A typical example was that dogs had Masters. Cats had staff. My response to that was the fact that dogs were domesticated somewhat earlier than cats. Thus cats were closer in their behavior to the wild. Cats for example are great and skillful predators. Killing mice in a useful manner and endangered birds to the detriment of that species.
 Our experience with giant Baron and Simba was relatively peaceful. They often slept in the same room and basically tolerated each other. When Simba was sitting on the sofa or a chair she would whack him with her paws. He tended than to go someplace else to lay down. And the other hand when Simba jumped down to the floor Baron began his herding/chasing act so Simba would jump up to higher ground so she could take a defensive position. They never got To a cat/dog fight. :-)




Dogs are much less predatory except when in packs. So as the cat advocate continued to educate me on the superior merits of felines, I finally retaliated. It seems likely I pointed out that in case I was walking in the woods and died of a heart attack, my loyal dog would lick me trying to save me. After that proved fruitless he would likely remain at my side for a long period of time guarding my body. On the other hand, in the same circumstance involving you and your cat I would give your beloved cat a maximum of an hour before it would start eating you. In that manner, unfortunately, I rested my case.

18 comments:

  1. I told my heart doc I didn't want to die alone, the catz would get me. My brother lasted 2 days with nary a nibble, but I was surprised. The doc said, what would you care, you're dead! glad not to have catz any more. Dogs definitely are more avid listeners.

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  2. I think both have their merits and it is up to the individual as to which they prefer as living companions. Dogs are too needy for me..so I have cats.

    I will disagree with you on cat hunting and decimating the songbird/endangered bird species. Cats have to learn hunting from their moms...and some are never "hunters." I have 2 cats currently that fall into that category. I cannot share a photo here, otherwise I would share the photo of my "hunter"...under the loaded bird feeder, chasing the birds' shadows on the shed....totally unaware of the songbirds above him. Both cats are well fed and have no need to hunt for their food...so they don't. So, yeah, that assumption is not always correct.

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    1. Most interesting. Lets have a win - win discussion not a zero sum argument:)My view remain that cats are closer to the wild(meaning much more recently domesticated) that indicates more instinctive. They are also less teachable than dogs but surely the moms do a good jobs. Ass you dogs are well fed and not hungry for birds or other small animals that's good. Many of my farmer friend have barn or farm cats who are are in and out of barns but do a great job killing mice and rats.
      Unfortunately I spoke the wrong word to my talk to type Dragon which published this post before I later added the picture of my best buddies Baron the Gentle Giant and Simba Lord of all he reign and a King as well...:)

      B

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    2. We used to have a feral cat colony in the parking lot at work. I worked with another gal to TNR (trap, neuter, and return) the cats. They were like the barn cats--working cats. These cats killed mice and rats around the industrial buildings. So, I guess they have a job to do, but probably cannot distinguish between lovely songbirds and rats...so it is a price you may pay for the colony to reside on your property. I like your photo. :)

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  3. A friend mentioned recently he needed to get a cat for mouse control. I told him to be sure his cat had been taught by another cat to kill prey. Otherwise, he needed to get two ignorant cats who would spend the night tormenting the mouse to death, making it run and run and run from one to the other of them.
    But on the whole, a grand debate. Fairly won.

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  4. Hi Ray - I'd go with both ... but please don't leave us in the woods - we'd never find out what happened ... I suspect the catz or the dogz couldn't type a post up. My aunt and uncle had that first picture on their wall ... it's been around donkey years - you didn't mention donkeys?!

    I hope you'll be able to adjust and life will settle down ... fun post to read though - I'm in the middle! Cheers Hilary

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  5. They both have good intentions, although my dogs were better at obeying commands. My cat knows how to get the best out of me which, I guess, is enough. He, the cat, was rescued from something but I never found out what that something was. Whatever, it stops him from trusting people or wandering far from home. He is fine with me, though.

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  6. I am mostly a dog person as a companion but have always owned at least one of each. I think cats are better cuddlers but if a burglar would threaten, the dog would give its life for me while the cat wouldn't be seen till it was time to nibble on the corpse.

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  7. Simba is a beautiful cat! From the time i was a child I have always had a cat and for most of my years, a dog, and i love both. It’s pretty much like i love my children — each for different things. Cats are easier, though, and can be left for days at a time, while dogs tie you down. I doubt we will ever have another dog after Bob the Border Collie lives out her days.

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  8. I would have both cats and dogs as I love them equally. Unfortunately, My Retired Man likes cats better and at this point in life, cats are easier to care for, especially when we need to be gone for longer than a few hours. I will correct you on one thing you said about cats and their empathy. A few years ago, I fell hard on the floor in my house. My sweet old cat, Martian, came over to my side and stayed there till I could maneuver myself to an upright position. When I lifted myself up onto the couch and sat down and moaned in pain, he jumped up and laid his head on my lap. That was love.

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  9. I think for city people, cats are preferable, at least for this city guy. They are relatively maintenance free and can be happy in the house. I pity the local dog owners doing their enforced walks x times/day. But if one needs absolute devotion and adoration, don't get a cat.

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  10. Humorous story. I have two cats. I am allergic to cat dander but no one will take them whenever I ask for someone to "re-home" on (or both of them). They are now geriatric. One is 15 and already had her $1600 overnight visit to the hospital for the year. She couldn't eliminate her solid waste and eliminated her liquid waste on my floor so a "tune-up" was required and now daily medicine. Precious is now only 5 pounds so I suspect she has a much more serious condition but I cannot afford the thousands of dollars in tests and treatments the doctor recommends. I spend a lot of time comforting her in my lap while I await her final days. Then I will only have my 11 year cat. Beeto was an adoption 6 years ago when Precious' sister didn't come home from a night out. Precious was inconsolable (animals do grieve). Big mistake to get another cat. They have never bonded and are jealous of one another for our attention. And, true to form, my cats like to empty the nests of my wild friends, the birds. I will not replace my cats when they pass on. I'm looking forward to an "empty nest".

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  11. :) I am a dog person, I hope Lily gets to do see Mrs T:)

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  12. Good one, Ray. I've had dogs and only a couple cats, mainly my wife's or daughters.

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  13. Dear Ray, I had to chuckle at your last paragraph and it's example of what a dog would do as opposed to a cat if you had a heart attack in the North Woods. I had this same conversation with a friend when I lived in New Hampshire. Her animal companion was a delightful dog called Vondie--a German Shepherd. The feline who trained me was Dulcy. Once, when I scolded Vondie instead of speaking directly to Gail about his eating from Dulcy's bowl (I just cringed if I had to be confrontational) she reminded me that Dulcy would have me for breakfast, lunch, and supper for a week if I dropped dead the next day! Peace.

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  14. Both of my cats are now gone. No "empty nest" though because with the pandemic came grandchildren - 2 girls to be exact - every day, except the weekends (which are mostly mine), as I spend my day serving meals and snacks (lots of snacks it seems), overseeing their on-line learning, and negotiating "melt-downs". More difficult than cats but quite the joy, especially at Christmas! Given that the Winter Solstice is upon us, I thought I would share this interesting tribute to winter from the NY Times this morning: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/12/20/us/how-to-survive-winter.html

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  15. You are so right on with the dog stories...loyalty is something they have! Cats not so much:)

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  16. You make a good case for dogs and I love our Border Collie (well, most of the time ...) but
    cats are very special and I’m finding it hard to live without one. Also, I seriously doubt that any of my cats would have eaten me, finicky as they are about their meals!

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