Cats and Dogs Co-Existing – Which Gets (and Gives) the Most Value?
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Hanna-Barbera produced one of the earliest Saturday morning cartoons. It featured two engaging animal characters: Ruff (a smart and steadfast cat) and Reddy (a good-natured and brave but none too bright dog). As the theme song said, “they sometimes fight like dogs and cats”, but when crisis loomed, they always teamed up to carry the day.
Despite the age-old trope that cats and dogs are mortal enemies, many households have pets of both species. In the U.S., for example, almost one-quarter of all households own both dogs and cats. For the most part, the pooches and the kittiesd coexist peacefully. Consequently, these households have an opportunity to experience both the benefits and the costs of the country’s (and the world’s) two most popular pet species.
Cost and Benefits
A study done in Mexico* shed light on what investments owners make, and what advantages they derive, from their ownership of canine and feline pets. The researchers constructed their analysis on social exchange theory, which posits that relationships (among humans or between humans and pets) will be maintained only when the benefits exceed, or at least equal, the associated costs.
On the benefit side of the ledger, the researchers included perceived social support, bonding, companionship and unconditional love. On the cost side, the factors considered included financial outlays (for such items as food, medical care, boarding and the like), perceived responsibility (and the attendant emotional burden) and the restrictions in other activities associated with caring for an animal.
Results – Interaction, Emotional Closeness and Cost
The pet owners participating in the study reported greater interaction with cats than with dogs – more time petting, brushing and lap-sitting with feline family members than with pooches. Dogs got higher scores for emotional closeness – the sense of a bond between human and animal. For both cats and dogs, males received better scores than females for both emotional closeness and lower cost.
Owners of both cats and dogs consistently responded that their feline pets required less maintenance than their dogs. They necessitate less clean-up, require less minute-to-minute attention, interfere less with the rest of life and have lower vet bills. For both species, younger animals were more economical to support, chiefly because of lower medical costs than older pets with deteriorating health.
Other Sources of Value
Aside from the value as pets, both dogs and cats may have jobs that add to the value they bring to their owners. It is difficult to estimate with precision what percent of dogs would be considered working animals – a guess might be that around 10 percent of dogs have some kind of formal way to earn their keep. Many more dogs are bred with working traits but are not actively employed in such roles.
With cats, the percentage of animals employed in a specific role – usually to hunt rodents – is even more difficult to pinpoint. After all, just about any cat will chase a mouse, whereas only a specially trained dog will herd sheep or provide mobility support. Nevertheless, we can’t forget that our canine and feline companions deliver a range of benefits beyond their role as family members.
We should also remember that healthy relationships with our dogs and cats confer benefits not only on us, but on them as well. Owners who feel a close bond with their pets are likely to be motivated to provide a high quality of life for their animals. Once again, mutuality is key to a win-win-win relationship amonghomo sapiens, canis lupus familiaris and felis catus.
*González-Ramírez, M.T and Landero-Hernández, R., “Pet–Human Relationships: Dogs Versus Cats,” Animals, 2021, 11, 2745. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11092745 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/animals