I have thought, ere now, upon the differences between cats and dogs. I have had both, and loved both. I find myself longing to own a pet again. It is all an academic question at the moment, but I am wondering, if I were able to get a pet, what kind of pet I should get.
As I was considering the question, it came in upon me that dogs and cats are loved for opposite reasons. A dog is loved because of how nearly human it can become. Though never losing its essential dogginess, it becomes, by training and discipline, more and more like man.
A cat, meanwhile, is very often left to its own nature, and though it is possible for our feline friends to be trained, usually by experts, the relationship between man and cat depends upon our distinct natures being distinct.
We love the dog because it is like us and the cat because it is not.
Of course, there are other animals besides these which make good companions. I am in no position to take up horsemanship, and the various creatures kept in terrariums and aquariums do not greatly entice me. I might consider getting a bird, though.
Tale Told 