Cats and Dogs

At a friend's house the other day, I was watching her cat lay on the floor close to where several of us were sitting. The cat was studiously ignoring everyone that was there - typical behavior for a cat. Thoughts of how a dog behaves around people came to mind and I made an observation!

Cats are a lot like newcomers. Cats like to be the center of attention while they ignore you. When they want attention, they make dang sure they get it by relentlessly pestering you until you cave in. They genuinely show very little emotion unless they want something from you. A cat likes to sleep during the day and prowl around at night. I have yet to know a cat that learns anything from consequences. If you reprimand a cat for, say, scratching the furniture, the cat is likely to do it again whenever it feels like it. If a cat is afraid of you or doesn't like you, it runs and hides until you are gone.

Dogs, on the other hand, are more like those that have been in the rooms of a recovery program, such as ETA, for a while and have worked some steps with a sponsor. Dogs tend to show every emotion they feel. They accept you for who you are and are still happy to see you. They rejoice in your arrival no matter how long you have been gone. They tend to look for ways to meet their own needs when someone doesn't provide them (Drinking from the toilet bowl comes to mind). If you reprimand a dog, he will change his behavior, at least while you are watching. Everything is an adventure for a dog. You let a dog inside and outside a billion times each day and they show enthusiasm each time.

Think about it.

PS: This post isn't really about cats and dogs.

Have a good and sober day.