Cats and dogs are viewed as to separate and different creatures. A popular question one might ask another is “Are you a cat or dog person?” The answer will give the asker an idea of the type of person he or she is. However, as many differences the two have, they also have a lot in common. Their physical make is obviously different, but upon taking a closer look they have certain attributes such as; whiskers and tails that help them each in the same ways. While they have well known different personalities they express themselves similarly.
There are many differences in behavior when it comes to dogs and cats. The biggest difference between the two is their social patterns and interactions with humans and others in their species. Dogs are pack animals. They usually will seek out one of them in a pack to take the role as leader. They view their pack as family and are loyal to keeping each other safe and thriving. If there is not a leader in the pack, they tend to experience behavioral problems. This leadership role can also be taken on by the dog’s owner. As a dog owner, you may want to instill this into your puppy early on ensuring that as he grows into a dog he will view you as the leader. Cats on the other hand are not pack animals. They also will not look to a human as their master. It is said that dogs are social and cats are solitary. While it is true that dogs prefer the company of other dogs or humans, cats will become attached to an owner and in some situations they will stay in groups or colonies.
There is also a difference in hunting behavior between the cat and dog. Cats hunt independently, and the senses they use to catch their prey make them remarkable hunters. I will touch more on their exceptional hearing and unique night vision later. Anyone who’s watched a cat play or chase something has witnessed their flexibility and unique running and jumping capabilities. From a very early age mother cats teach their kittens how to stalk and catch their prey. Dogs often hunt in groups, and although they are physically capable of catching prey, they excel in tracking them. Police officers often use dogs to sniff out illegal substances or explosives, and they can even be trained to search and rescue humans. Cats use their sense of hearing to listen to the high frequencies of a rodent to ambush their prey. Dogs on the other hand use smell to track down their prey.
When it comes to senses cats and dogs are different because they each have a special sense that sets them apart from each other. Cats have extraordinary hearing. As far as high pitched sounds go, humans can hear up to approximately 20,000 cycles per second. Dogs can hear sounds of frequencies of up to 35,000 to 45,000 cycles. Cats can hear sounds of an amazingly high pitch -- sounds up to 100,000 cycles per second. This is the same high pitched sound a rodent will make, allowing the cat to hear it and catch it. A cat can distinguish between two sounds that are only 18 inches apart at a distance of 60 feet. They can also easily tell the difference between two sounds from the same direction but at different distances. This ability is mainly contributed to a cats large movable outer ears, which not only amplify sound but can also determine the exact direction it’s coming from. Secondary to hearing, cats have great nighttime vision. In exchange for a vision lacking in rich colors and fine detail, cats can see at only one sixth the light level required for human vision. The cat has a structure called the tapetum lucidum that reflects light back to the receptors for a second chance to create a signal. In the dark the slit in the cat’s eyes can go from barely visible to about 1 cm in diameter allowing them to see things humans and some dogs can’t see.
Dogs have about 200 million odor sensitive cells in their nose compared to a cat’s 19 million. A huge part of a dog’s brain is dedicated to analyzing odors. This ability has made dogs useful to humans in everyday life. Dogs can detect odors that are 40 feet underground. This is used by police officers when searching and rescuing. They can detect leaky gas pipes and termite infestations. Some dogs are used to sniff out electrical currents. The charge releases tiny amounts of ozone that the dog can pick up on. According to dogs, every human has a unique smell. Blindfold a dog and he could pick out its owner in a room filled with a hundred people. The most amazing thing a dog can do with this keen sense of smell is detect human illness. Scientists are training dogs to detect seizures, cancer cells, and other illness and also a proper response to each one. Just by smelling urine or human breath a dog can detect cancer cells. Similarly, both cats and dogs were domesticated by humans. Also both aided early humans in everyday life. Upon research, it seems for both the cat and dog it is hard to pinpoint the exact origin and time of when they became who they are today. It is said that dogs were domesticated from 12,000 years ago, while cats were domesticated from before 3000 BC. Historians have traced cats back to Egypt where they were not only viewed as sacred animals; they were mummified and buried with their owners. Later they were used to control vermin on ships and eventually spread throughout Europe. There is evidence showing that dogs evolved from their ancestors, the wolves. Many believe this is due to the human interaction they received from living in close proximity to paleolithic campsites. Dogs have many uses for early humans such as cleaning food scraps, keeping the campsites sanitary. They provided warmth, as well as alerted the camp of predators.

Although it would be quite difficult to visually mistake a cat for a dog or vice versa, the two have many physical and emotional traits that are similar. They both have tails, and these help them to express feelings to others in their species as well as humans. For example a dog wagging his tail could mean excitement or agitation. Which one depends on the other body language the dog is displaying. A high erect tail (wagging or not) displays confidence and dominance. An aggressive dog is usually one where his tail is arching over the back and twitching. When a cat wags its tail it could mean it is in a stage of conflict. If a cat is near its owner and his tail is quivering, he is expressing love. Once the tail starts trashing, his mood has changed and it’s time to distance youself from him. Fear is expressed by both when the tail is tucked between the legs.
Another physical trait both cats and dogs have are whiskers. Whiskers play an important role in survival for both species. Like the movement of a cat’s tail, the whiskers also indicate emotion. Whiskers that are pulled back indicate the cat is angry or defensive. Relaxed and pushed forward whiskers indicate happiness, curiosity and content feelings. The whiskers are deep rooted into their faces, in an area rich in nerves and blood vessels. This is so they can use them for sensory reasons. The whiskers on a cat or dogs face are positioned so that they can gauge whether or not they will be able to fit in to a particular opening. The tips are sensitive to pressure, for example a dog will slowly stick its head in a hole and determine from there whether or not to proceed. In the same way a cat will pop its head in and out of that same hole and make a judgment. A cat’s whiskers are so sensitive that it can detect the slightest directional change in breeze. The thing that fascinates me about cats is their ability to sneak quietly around in a room at night without making a peep. The currents in the room change depending on where the pieces of furniture are placed. A cat can detect that glass vase by this change in breeze and avoid it. Dogs can pick up certain vibrations on their whiskers like a sixth sense. This is why some people believe that dogs can pick up on vibrations of natural disasters, and know before humans of what’s to come. Although it doesn’t hurt the animal to cut the whiskers, it doesn’t help them either. It would be like taking away a sense such as touch and sight, and they definitely would be better off with it.
Although there are endless difference between cats and dogs, they do also have similarities. When we take a closer look at the two we realized the way they behave, hunt, and feel about their owners are the same. It is interesting when a person is stereotyped as a cat or dog person because both are mainly used for the same purpose here in the 21st century; companionship.