
Why are cats “aloof” and dogs are just so darned charming and always happy to see you?
I don’t know. I don’t have a degree in the psychology of either dogs or cats, but maybe these fast facts will help all of us understand them a little better.
Let’s start with cats. Cats are the sleepiest of all mammals. They spend 16 hours a day sleeping. That means a seven year old cat has only been awake for two years of its life! And when they are awake, they spend 30% of that time grooming! Now this next fact is really going to shock you: A single pair of cats and their first litter of kittens can produce as many as 420,000 kittens in just 7 years; there’s that number again…seven. But wait a minute, if they were asleep for 5 of those years, and 30% of their awake time was used to groom themselves, then that only leaves 16 months of, well y’know, “time” to produce all those kittens. A cat’s heart beats twice as fast as a human heart: I think I know why. I also think I understand why cat’s are so aloof. And tired.
But what about dogs? Well let’s start with their sense of smell. A dog’s sense of smell is up to one hundred thousand times more sensitive than a human’s. While humans have about five million scent receptors in their noses, a bloodhound has up to three hundred million. And a dogs’ wet nose help them smell better. What?! If that’s true, why do dogs always find the worst, most disgusting things to roll in, which makes them smell horrible? Because, as our next fact explains, dogs are about as smart as a two- or three-year-old child. Hmmm.
Dogs with “squashed” faces have more health problems. (and dating issues). The structure of the faces of pugs, boxers, and bulldogs makes them more prone to respiratory problems, dental problems, and other health issues. Many of them end up on Dr. Phil.
Dogs’ only sweat glands are between the pads of their feet. They dissipate the majority of their heat by panting, a method far more effective than allowing moisture to evaporate from the skin. Ahh, I knew they were smart, in a physiological kind of way…
A dog can locate the source of a sound in 1/600 of a second and can hear sounds four times farther away than a human can. OK, now we’re talking superhero powers!
Well its obvious in my own objective view that dogs come by their natural charm because they’re just built that way! And as for cats, well all I can say is, they seem to have a lot of “lifestyle” issues.
But in fairness, I leave you with a couple of traits shared by both dogs and cats: The nose prints of both dogs and cats are unique – they are ridged in a pattern just like fingerprints. But most importantly, both dogs and cats can read your moods: If you’re sad or under stress, you may also notice a difference in your dog or cat’s behaviour. We love our pets and they love us right back.