Australian Cattle Dog (ACD) Articles and Information

Dog Vs Cat; A Personal Choice

For me, I would have to choose a dog over a cat. This is mainly due to personal experiences I've had with cats in the past.

I don't think I hate cats per se... seriously dislike is probably a more accurate term. I remember [though mainly through stories older family members tell] our first cat, Snowball. A white fur ball I was obsessed with as a baby. I don't remember what happened to him, but I know he died. It was several years before we got another cat - we got her from a highway stall when we were moving towns.

I can't remember what her original name was exactly... something is saying it was She-Ra [as in He-Man's sister] but it could have been a similar name. The important thing to note here is the name didn't stick... our Blue Heeler [cattle dog] had recently had puppies and as they were all given away, she adopted the cute little kitten. I think that is were things turned to the worst.

At the time we were living on a property so the animals had free run of the place. She-Ra, being 'raised' by a dog got to believing she actually was a dog... a really huge dog, with a bad attitude. Her name quickly changed from She-Ra to Fido. Things didn't get interesting until we moved into town.

In the first couple of days the neighborhood dogs were petrified of her, she'd get the dog's rub up against their fence and when they got close enough she'd swat them. On the off chance that one of the neighborhood dogs was let loose, one moment you'd see a couple of dogs chasing this little cat; the next you'd see the dogs yapping in retreat and little Fido chasing them.

I remember my Nana bringing the dog a nice big leg bone for the dogs' dinner one night and she accidentally dropped it on the floor, Fido pounced on it the second it hit the floor. Nana thought she would 'humor' the cat and let her have it while she was getting the rest of the dogs' dinner ready. When she went to retrieve the bone, Fido had other plans. The cat took a swipe at Nana, put the bone in her mouth and carted it outside. Now this wasn't just any bone - the thing was easily three times the size of the cat.

It wasn't just the neighborhood pets Fido would terrorize; all the kids [and several adults] were terrified of her. Anyone sitting on a chair Fido decided to lay on quickly moved... if no other chair was available most sat on the floor. If you got in Fido's way, or she didn't like what you were doing, you'd end up with scratches all over your arms, legs and whatever other body parts she could get a hold of.

I think it's cool to have pets with their own unique personalities, however, when it comes to choosing my own pet, I doubt it will be a cat. Not only did I have to survive a childhood of a psychotic cat, but other family members that have cats and the smell is horrendous. I was lead to believe cats were extremely clean creatures, I can barely stand the smell of sneakers in the room, I highly doubt I could live in a house that all you can smell is cat.