The Roanoker - March/April 2021 - 52
Cats vs. Dogs:
The Ultimate Showdown!
written and photographed by Dan Smith Cats too persnickety and arrogant? Dogs too messy and loud? State your case!
W
ant to start an argument? Announce your preference
for cats or dogs in a crowd. It has been thus since dogs,
cats and people merged. Those with dogs and cats in the
Roanoke Valley are no exceptions. Here's what some of
them have to say.
Dr. Matt Parker, a holistic functional veterinarian at Roanoke
Animal Acupuncture, is careful when comparing cat lovers to dog
lovers.
" People who prefer one species over the other are strongly
opinionated, and pointing out their differences in print is almost
akin to discussing the differences between those of opposing
politics. There is a meme or poster or saying out there somewhere
that says, 'Dogs have owners, cats have staff.' Generally, dogs love
pleasing their people and cats just want to be left alone and for
someone to clean their toilet. "
Dorothy Owsley was in the
market for neither a cat nor a
dog but wound up with both.
First, her son brought over a
border collie, Brooklyn, for
her to keep overnight. That
was two years ago. Brooklyn
is still there. Then the collie
heard strange noises on the
side porch night after night
Dorothy Owsley,
and finally encouraged Owsley
Brooklyn (left) and
to investigate. She found a
Nyla (right)
very young, tiny, feral kitten
52 MARCH/APRIL 2021
who has since " been terrorizing everything. " And, of course, she
fell in love with the kitten and insists that " the dog adopted Nyla. "
Brooklyn, she says, " has a strong maternal instinct. "
Journalist Luanne Rife observes: " A dog might counter surf when
you leave the kitchen and have the decency to try to hide his crime
or act all guilty. But a cat jumps right up there, muscles his way into
taking over food prep and serves himself first, or turns up his nose in
disgust. Who needs that kind of commentary on their meal choices?
As if someone who spends hours grooming his privates should be so
righteous. And don't get me started on hair balls. "
Former Kiwanis president
Jenny Lee has a tiny cat,
adopted through Angels of
Assisi. Their relationship is a
bit odd. " Three years ago, Tippi
[who weighs about four-anda-half pounds] took down my
11-foot Fraser fir and smashed
most of my late mom's precious
antique ornaments. In 2020,
she tripped me in the middle
Jenny Lee and Tippi
of the night and put me in the
hospital for five nights with
three fractured ribs and a partially collapsed lung. "
John Michael Saunders Junior has little use for cats: " I hate their
dander; it sends my allergies racing over a cliff. I hate the smell
of their litter boxes, and the whole concept of a litter box. I hate
the ease with which even the most domesticated cat can become
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