The Greattttt Debate, Dog and Cat Owners Know Why their pet is BEST

Ahhhh, pet lovers!! Who can explain our strange behavior? Mr.Dog Enthusiast drives down the street with his Cocker Spaniel between him and the steering wheel. Mrs.Cat Fancier coos absurd gibberish to her Persian in the veterinarian's waiting room. One person I know lets her cat sleep on her pillow, kind of wrapped around her head. We asked our readers why they prefer cats or dogs as pets, and responses poured in like snowdrifts in January.

Dogs led the poll by a small margin. A few readers liked both, but those who favored one or the other were ADAMANT, to say the least. Here are some of the excerpts from their letters:

Leslie Fleming of Hitchcock wrote:"My wife likes cats, Missy, her cat, meows only when hungry, which is most of her waking time. The cat is a regular chow hound. My dog, Paws, only eats once a day and will ignore a plate filled with food if there is any activity taking place. I prefer dogs , as they wag their tails, not their tongues".

Regina Ruhman, Okla. City, expressed a different opinion:" I am an avid cat lover, my husband, Bill, is a dog lover. I have a flame point Persian, and my husband has a Dachshund, named Skeeter. The cat is suppose to be mine, but when I see him and Bill napping together in the lounge chair, I wonder.

One reader wrote: "Cats are easier to handle, dogs are better for protection. If I had to chose, I would say cats come first".

Many of our readers shared touching memories:

"Cats have been with me through the loneliness of childhood and through the recovery of heart surgery.. it's a privilege to be owned by a cat".

One reader in Mustang wrote: "Not just an old dog, my dog was my best friend. Chen slept outside my bedroom window. It was her daily routine for me to raise my window and talk to her and if she thought I was oversleeping, she'd bark to wake me. Her devotion was apparent, she started my days feeling loved. I was Chen's owner, but she owns a place in my heart. Chen died recently, but memories of her will last".

Linda Wattie of Okla. City wrote:

I had one truly great dog, a fawn colored Doberman named Abbie who died over 10 years ago. Linda wrote: " As dog owners know, we're extremely lucky to have dogs in our lives, but even more lucky to have that One Special Dog,the kind that comes along usually only once in a lifetime". "Ruslin's Abracadabra" (Abbie)

March 16, 1973 - July 4, 1985

"Ruslin's WATTIE"....We felt safe with you here. 11/22/82-4/21/99 "Ruslin's AUSSIE ROO"...SECOND BEST DOG !!! 4/27/85-10/4/99