Cats have their place.....inside. They are great company as long as they stay indoors. When outside they are wanton killers.....of everything. Explain to me how that is a good thing. Cats are "handy" pets, requiring very little to get along without human supervision. That fits well with folks who are too busy to invest the time, and want a pet when it is convenient. I don't care much for the smell of cat boxes, claw marks on the furniture, nor picking up the slingings of kitty litter (appropriately named, isn't it? ). Grew up with both cats and dogs. On a scale of 10 ..Cats rate about a 2, Dogs rate about a 9. But that's just me.