Cats are better than dogs

Thank you for posting such brilliant points, I will be happy to answer them. Firstly - yes, I have to admit that I made a mistake when writing the title of my first argument - it really should had been "Cats are better than dogs because it is much more likely to be killed by an average DOG than by an average CAT." Let's move to my first argument that "Cats are better than dogs because it is much more likely to be killed by an average dog than by an average cat". Ladies and gentlemen, think about it: Is it better for you to have a pet that can - it something goes wrong - deliberately or not - kill or seriously injure you or someone else, or is it more beneficial for you (and the people around) to own a pet that maybe can injure someone but CAN'T kill (since it's body constitution, weight and gripe of its jaws can't endanger life of any human)? We don't need to look at statistics - using out wit should be enough. I didn't want this debate to become a debate about breeds. There are far too many breeds of cats and dogs and arguing about few specific ones wouldn't really prove or disprove our thesis. What is more, some breeds chosen could be really difficult to defend either for me or for my opponent. And I want this debate to be fair. Therefore, I am asking my opponent to debate this thesis without using arguments considering just some breeds. Yes, cats do bite. So do dogs. Both bites can cause infection (we can never know what had the animal been doing before it bit us), so this argument of my opponent seems more like a doughnut. It looks good but the hole in it is quite obvious. What is more, as I stated therein before, the gripe of dog's jaw is much stronger and therefore it can injure more seriously. If your pet can't hurt or kill you or other citizens then the possession of it should be regarded as "more beneficial". Therefore, cats should be considered better than dogs. Therefore, the motion stands. Moving to my second argument that "Cats are better than dogs because owning an average cat doesn't cost as much as owning an average dog": My opponent claims that the cost of ownership is dependent on breed, extent of use and the owner him/herself. That is very true - unfortunately for my opponent, this argument is like a gun. It can also backfire. There are MANY breeds of dogs that definitely need more food than cats (e.g. bandogs, shepherd dogs etc.) but as I said before I don't want this debate to be about specific breeds because then it would be unfair. Extent of use: Yes! Of course that feeding 6 cats cost more than feeding 1 dog. And vice versa. That's why I don't consider this as a really important argument - it's more of a mini skirt. (It may look good but it covers nothing.) Still, you must agree with me that feeding 1 cat cost USUALLY less than feeding one dog. (What is more, cats can hunt for themselves.) The owner her/himself: Definitely. Expensive jewellery and collars? Yes - the owners buy them. But how many "normal" people can afford it? Ordinary people buy collars that don't cost much. Just by the way - does a cat need a collar? Certainly not. Does a dog need a collar? Of course - since it needs to be walked. That means less amount of money needed to be spent on a cat. Less money necessarily needed to be spent is definitely good for us as the citizens. Therefore, cats are more beneficial for us as their owners. To my third argument that "Cats are better than dogs because cats don't need that much care" my opponent said only that less care doesn't necessarily mean "more beneficial". He used the example of owning a car. Car isn't a dog. Therefore, the motion still stands. People say: "Time is money." Precisely. How much of your time does a cat need? 5 minutes in the morning (feeding), 5 minutes when you come home from work (greeting, playing maybe), 5 minutes in the evening (feeding). That's 15 minutes per day. How much of your time does a dog need? 5 minutes in the morning (feeding), 15-30 minutes afterwards (a short walk), 15 minutes when you come home from work (greeting, playing - since dogs are never tired of their owners an are always willing to lick their hands etc.), 5 minutes in the evening (feeding), 15-30 minutes afterwards (a short walk). That means at least (!) 55 minutes per day. Imagine, how much work can you do in those extra 40 minutes! Extra work usually means extra money. Extra money - means definitely some benefit for the owner. Cats do not need you to spend that much time with them, therefore you can spend the time differently and perhaps earn more money or go somewhere with your friends - which is clearly beneficial for you. Therefore, cats are better than dogs. Now I am going to look at the arguments that my opponent brought. 1. Yes, dogs can be trained to perform services, tasks and serve the military. Do we really want animals to serve the military? Do we have the right to decide for them? Isn't it a bit unfair for those poor animals? Doesn't this also means that these animals can be exploit for something bad? In a war, for example? Can that be really considered good for the people? Civilians that have done nothing? I don't think so. Animals performing services and tasks. As we all know, we are in the 21st century. Sooner or later it will be robots doing the tasks we now use dogs for. Therefore, sooner or later this argument will fall its own accord. 2. The fact that dogs can detect drugs, explosives etc. doesn't necessarily mean that they are better than cats. Cats have other abilities. For example - they can predict earthquakes. I have never heard of a dog that could do something like that. Some people are good at maths, some are good at chemistry. None of these abilities make them "better". 3. Yes, dogs are animals saving lives. Unfortunately, they are also animals that kill. Everyone has to decide for himself - whether to risk that someday the dog may go mad and kill but as well as that one day the dog can save someone's life - or whether to have a cat and know that you won't be killed nor saved at any case. 4. Both cats and dogs can provide a familiar presence for lonely people. What is more, some cats are used to help ill people in some hospitals since it is known that just staying with the cat helps people to recover. Dogs can never be allowed to go into any kind of hospital since there's always the risk of serious injuries. Ladies and gentlemen, I brought you logical reasons why cats are better than dogs - why owning a cat is more beneficial for you as the owner. I hope that you now realize why purchasing a cat is a good idea;)