Survived

I'm sure your instincts are right. It's great she's so nice, and cat people are usually better to trust than dog people, even though it's weird for me to say that - there is such a gamut of dog people, from the simply stupid to the abusive, that you can't really just run on that alone :) - cat people aren't usually the type to smack kitties around.

Hooray for you. We finally have enough money again for me to go back to my therapist so I'm starting mine up again too. Same deal on meds which sucks but hopefully she'll just be able to make a call so I don't have to do an exam for both personal and financial reasons (no mo insurance at the moment...)

I'm glad you liked her. *hugs*

good luck!

I'm glad you found a bond through cats :)

nd cat people are usually better to trust than dog people, even though it's weird for me to say that - there is such a gamut of dog people, from the simply stupid to the abusive, that you can't really just run on that alone :) - cat people aren't usually the type to smack kitties around.

not to hijack andrea's diary too too much. but I don't buy that.

abuse isn't just about "smaking things around" what about cat owners who declaw, or neglect the kitty litter, or don't put out enough food and fresh water? That's abuse too, and something I've noticed more in cat owners than dog owners.

I've also known some people who are wonderful to their animals, and dote on them, and yet are incredibly cruel to other people. The way a person treats an animal is often, but not always a clue to how they are with people.

I'd say there's at least as much a gamut of cat people as there are dog people.

Hm. Not so much in my experience. Meaning, people that care enough about their cats to put up pictures of them in their office etc., and talk about their cats, rarely are less than friendly.

As for the kinds of abuse/neglect/stupidity of which you speak, the variations if not the occurrences (I have no statistics, really) are much more bountiful in dogs than in cats. People remove the teeth of dogs for "biting too much," slice their vocal cords for "barking too much," declaw them, starve them, leave them alone for unbelievable periods of time. Not only that, but the kinds of abuse dogs regularly suffer at the hands of their owners are often condoned to the extent that the owner is perfectly happy with how they treat their dog. That includes drugs, culturally it often includes fighting dogs, training with horrific aversives, and using the potentially fatal yet widely recommended choke collar.

Not only that, but it tends to be easier to abuse a dog than a cat in many ways, assuming that you include lack of exercise in that category. A cat can often lead a reasonably happy life inside with food, water, and someone to sit next to. That is rarely true of a dog, yet many people who might even consider themselves animal lovers keep dogs inside and totally without exercise.

Essentially, most of the cat people I have met tend to care deeply about the cats. Of course that's not to say there aren't some total arsewipes in there, far from it. Dog people that also like cats also tend to be a pretty good bet, especially if they have both cats and dogs in a peaceful household. Many of the dog people I have met are willing to actually boast about what I would absolutely consider mistreatment, and many are cruel in the name of "training." Others got a dog because it was cute and then didn't feel like giving it any exercise. Others still ignore health problems until the animal is dead, and the worst of all physically maim their dogs even beyond the wound of declawing. Dog people routinely purchase dogs from pet stores, sometimes even knowing that they are puppy mill dogs.

Not only that, but dogs can be a symbol of machismo and are often used to reinforce the manliness of a man, whether it be a gun dog, attack dog, guard dog, or fighting dog. That fact in and of itself means that the actual circumstance of dog ownership can often be a signal that something is NOT right, not the other way around. One does not see many gangbangers with a Persian on a leash; one sees plenty of them with pits, rotties, GSDs, and a host of other dogs bred to be Tough Guy Dogs.

Additionally, while I have known a few people that doted on their pets while being asshats to people, by and large they have neglected some aspect of that pet's care. Again, not all, but most of the ones that I have known. It's very typical: talking in lovey-dovey tones and cuddling a lot, but never going to the vet or giving the dog enough exercise.

Of course I'm generalizing madly over here, but I still am of the opinion that bargaining that someone who speaks enthusiastically of their cats is an okay person is a better bet than the same of someone who speaks enthusiastically of their dogs.

I think we'll have to agree to disagree here.

there is plenty of dog abuse, but lots of cat abuse too, I know siamese cats that have had vocal cords cut because of the piercing wail they let loose with.

And the pet stores that have puppies from puppy mills, tend to sell kittens too. where do they get them?

Not only that, but dogs can be a symbol of machismo and are often used to reinforce the manliness of a man, whether it be a gun dog, attack dog, guard dog, or fighting dog. That fact in and of itself means that the actual circumstance of dog ownership can often be a signal that something is NOT right, not the other way around.

I'm afraid this is a case of all A's being B's does NOT equate to all B's being A's. I'm going to call spurious logic here.
simply the circumstance of owning a dog as an indicator that something "is not right"? that's pretty harsh.

and besides, I have to admit, I have some bias myself, if I have little else to go on, I'm more likely to dig a dog lover than a cat lover.

how was monday?