Cats are Superior Pets to Dogs

It is true that dogs cost about $200 more per year to maintain. [. http://www.canadianliving.com...] However, I hope that by the end of my round, my opponent and the reader will see that the benefits of owning a dog far exceeds a couple hundred dollars. [2] Cats don’t beg for your attention. This is actually a point for why cats are inferior as a family pet. Children prefer play and cats are less playful than dogs. [3] Cats don’t start a ****storm when someone comes over. My opponent has not shown how this makes cats a superior pet. Perhaps people enjoy being greeted enthusiastically when they come home, rather than with the disdain and indifference that cats display. [ . http://www.vgmemes.com...][4] Dogs are smelly; cats are clean and naturally insect repellent. My opponent has not provided proof that this is true. [5] Youtube videos about cats are funnier than those about dogs. Again, my opponent does not provide proof of this, nor does he explain how it makes cats a superior pet. [6] Dogs need your approval, which is a sign of spiritual weakness. I do not see how this point is relevant to my opponent’s case. My CaseI contend that there is a reason dogs are referred to as “man’s [or woman’s] best friend”, and that they are superior pets than are cats. [1] Dogs are more diverse. When looking for a cat as a pet, who cares which one you get? They’re all relatively the same size with relatively the same personality. However, choosing a dog is a more involved and personal process. Dogs have different sizes and address the needs of more people. They also have different personalities. In this regard, dogs are the superior pet because they are able to fulfill the diverse needs of a greater number of people. [. http://www.answersingenesis.org...][2] Children are more allergic to cats. Dogs are a superior family pet because children are more allergic to cats. [. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...] Cats also trigger asthma more often than dogs [. http://allergicliving.com...].[3] Dogs are natural antidepressants. While numerous studies have been conducted to show that owning a pet lessens the symptoms of Depression, [. http://www.webmd.com...], dogs have been shown specifically to be a significant cause of this [. http://www.fyiliving.com...]The first article outlines the benefits of having a pet that buffer against Depression, some of them being uncomplicated love, companionship, social interaction, and touch. My opponent has admitted in his first round that you don’t get as much attention from cats as you do from dogs (His second, third, and sixth points). Additionally, dogs require their owners to partake in physical activity by taking them for walks. The benefits of physical activity (like the release of endorphins, our brain’s natural antidepressant) have been well-documented. [. http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca...] [. http://www.cdc.gov...]There are numerous studies on the benefits of playing with dogs on your psychological well-being, and dogs, not cats, are used to treat stress and loneliness/isolation. [. http://en.wikipedia.org...]ConclusionWhile cats may cost less to maintain, can we really put a value of $200 a year on our psychological well-being? Dogs provide unconditional love and attention. They are help improve our mental health in a way that cats do not. Children are more allergic to cats and so they do not always make the best family pet. And lastly, dogs are more diverse and the process of choosing one is more personalized and unique than the process of choosing a cat. Cats are pretty interchangeable. For this reason, a dog is a superior pet.