What makes cats different than dogs? Why can you leave a cat alone and it will be happy whereas dogs need your attention all the time? The difference between cats and dogs comes down to their behavior, physical traits, and their metabolism.
The first big difference is in behavior. Cats in the wild are solitary hunters that are more attached to their environment than they are to other cats. This is why cats are very self sufficient. As long as cats are in their own environment they are happy. In contrast, dogs are pack animals they are happy in many different environments as long as they have their pack with them. This pack mentality allows us to train dogs to do tricks. They crave the attention that they get from their performance.
The pack behavior also relates to how a dog is built physically. In the wild they are designed to run down their prey. This translates to dogs being built as long distance runners. Cats are designed to stalk their prey. Their instincts lead them to sneak up on their prey and then pounce. This leads to cats being built more as sprinters than long distance runners.
There is also a difference between cats and dogs that relates to their diet. Cats are strictly carnivores. In the wild they need to eat meat to survive. Cats also need to eat more often than dogs. Dogs are omnivores, meaning that they can sustain life from both plant and animal sources of energy. In a survival situation dogs can maintain themselves totally on plant-based foods.
Some other interesting differences between cats and dog include:
Dogs can go longer without food than cats can. Dogs are able to utilize their own body fat for energy more efficiently than cats.
Cats have retractable claws. This allows them to keep their claws sharp, whereas dogs are constantly wearing down their claws.
The cat’s body is designed for climbing and jumping. This allows them to hunt or escape predators by climbing trees or other objects. Dogs are more earthbound. They can’t jump or climb in the same way that cats can.
Dogs need to be potty trained. It can take a lot of time and effort to potty train a puppy. Cats potty train themselves. All you need to do is provide a litter box. Instinct takes over from there.
Cats have 30 teeth compared to dogs, which have 42 teeth.
Cats metabolize medications differently than dogs and humans do. This means that certain medications that are safe for dogs or humans can actually be toxic to a cat.
Cats have a longer memory than dogs. Kittens can remember things for up to 16 hours, compared to 5 minutes in a dog.
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