It’s no secret that cats are mainstream. At the 2013 AMA’s Miley Cyrus wore a cat-patterned outfit, and during her performance a giant “singing” kitten was mouthing the lyrics on the screen behind her. A website called “Written Kitten” will provide a new picture of a kitten every time you type 100 words–a perfect source of motivation to power through writing an essay. And of course, who can forget about Grumpy Cat? Tardar sauce, the name of the surly feline, has stolen the hearts of millions since her internet debut in late 2012. Funny cat videos on Youtube are very popular, and stores sell a wide variety of cat-themed products including shirts, accessories, coffee mugs, and wall calendars.
Despite the fact that cats have dominated the cyber world and marketing products, dogs are still highly favored as pets. Dogs like to play with you; they are excited to greet you when you get home; they are exceptionally more energetic than cats are–they truly are man’s best friend. Cats, on the other hand, are moody and temperamental. They don’t always like to be touched or played with, and they often wander off for days at a time.
A British philosopher and mathematicion named Alfred North Whitehead pretty much hit the nail on the head when he once said, “If a dog jumps in your lap, it is because he is fond of you; but if a cat does the same thing, it is because your lap is warmer.” Why then, if dogs are so popular, do cats receive so much attention?
Calico, tabby, persian–what’s the difference? A cat is a cat is a cat. But with dogs, people generally have more specific tastes. Man’s best friend is often divided into two breed categories: large and small. Many people find small dogs to be yappy and annoying, while others think that large dogs are too agressive. Even then, some people pick a breed of dog that they stick with their entire lives. Different breeds of dogs have different personalities, and are physically very different.
This could make things challenging for merchandise producers–they would be forced to decide which dog breed to put on a shirt or a coffee mug or an accessory. As for calenders, there are many different wall calendars with pictures of dogs on them available for purchase. The catch is that each calender focuses on one breed of dog. With cats, one uniform calendar is enough, and that is why cats are so easily popular.
Apart from fur color, cats are generally thrown into one big category–when people say they have a pet cat, no one asks what type it is. Dogs are separated into categories depending on what size and breed they are. Owning a dog is a much more selective process than owning a cat. Personal preference is the key to dog-lovers, and for this reason, cats–animals who can be grouped into one large category–are more popular in the cyber world and marketing products.