Posted by Racer on July 1, 2004, at 10:29:13
No, not what kind of pet do you have, but are you, yourself, more like a dog or more like a cat in your own reactions?
Cats and dogs evolved in different environments, and in different environmental niches, and it has shaped their behavior and, I believe, their temperaments, too. I was trying to explain to my new therapist about my reactions to what's gone on at that agency, and realized that the easiest ways I had to describe my reactions were to use analogies of animal behavior. That, of course, got me thinking about it, and got me curious and wondering, and thinking some more.
So, dogs are social hunters, social creatures; cats are solitary predators, more wary of others. If you've had either as a pet, you'll have a good idea, I think, of what I mean about all this, right? Or maybe someone whose having a Great Word Day can post a better explanation than I can. In the meantime, for those of you who get what I mean, are you more of a Cat Person, or more of a Dog Person? And if your *really* get it, is there any specific type or breed that you most resemble?
Personally, I think the problem I have stems from being not only a Cat Person, but a Siamese Cat Person! When I feel threatened, I don't go into flight-or-fight mode as to reverse the order. That's something Siamese cats are known for -- I grew up with a Blue Point, and he was like that. If he liked you, you were pretty safe, but strangers he considered threatening were best advised to watch carefully that they never entered his "safety zone." (He wouldn't bother to go after anyone outside what he considered a respectful distance, but took entering within that zone to be a sign of aggression and would sometimes attack.) So, I'm a bit hypervigilant, I am quick to startle, I'm quiet -- though talkative -- and will attack when I feel backed into a corner.
None of that is necessarily exclusive to cats, of course, but since cats in the wild are solitary critters, it does change it a little from dogs doing the same thing. Dogs tend to read behavioral cues from others in a way that cats don't do so well, for instance, so they may be less quick to run or attack. (YES! These are very general comments -- there's as much behavioral and temperamental variation within each species as between the two. But for a quickish survey question, generalizations seemed easiest, you know? lol)
So, how about all of you? Cat or dog? Or, if you're interested in it, terrier? Hound? Horse breed? Whatever animal you think best fits you behaviorally or temperamentally.
(Bonus answer: Whatcha think? Interesting topic? Or am I just very easily amused?)
poster:Racer
thread:362275
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20040626/msgs/362275.html