Puppies and kittens

March 23.  According to the crazy calendar it is National Puppy Day.  Oh yeah - and it's ALSO Cuddly Kitten Day.  You think we could have two SEPARATE days - but no, we have to share the day.

So I started looking into the differences between puppies and kittens and found a site that explained why puppies are better.  Of course.  But as I went through their rationale as to all the "better" things about puppies, I actually started to realize maybe we were not REALLY better after all.  Just different.  Here are some examples:

1.  Kittens use litter boxes, which can become stinky and a nuisance to clean out.  But I started thinking that in the middle of a blizzard, lots of humans would LOVE it if they didn't have to take their puppy outside.  And let's face it, housebreaking IS a chore.  But once we understand the concept, we're good to go.  Literally.  BUT - litter box or not, humans STILL have to clean up even with puppies.  Poop is just part of the both jobs.  No getting around that one.

2.  Kittens can claw at furniture.  True.  Puppies don't claw furniture.  But do you want to see the teeth marks on the chairs in the dining room from Jaws?  Oh - and the carpet...

3.  Puppies Don't Produce Nasty Hairballs.  True.  However, IF we get into something unsavory, , we TOO can get the urky gurkies and leave a lovely deposit - usually ON the carpet.  In the middle of the night.  But not to worry.  We clean up.  I'm not sure kittens don't do the same.

4. Puppies love adventures and generally LOVE going for car rides -especially when we put two and two together and figure out we are going somewhere FUN!  As a rule, kittens may not LOVE car travel.  And some may NOT stop making noise while they travel.  It can be a challenging ride.  MIND you - if we puppies, as we get older, figure out we are going to the VET - we may not be happy either!

5.  Puppies love belly rubs.  And with kittens, rolling on their belly MAY mean they are just waiting to attack you.  Really.  That's what I've heard.  Mind you, some of us puppies NEVER want you to stop rubbing our bellies - so we also will attack when the petting ends...

6.  Puppies can be in training to become service animals.  The puppies have this advantage for sure.  You'll never likely see a seeing eye cat.  Or a military working cat.  Cats are a bit more "independent".  Mind you, not ALL puppies pass the training program.  I'm thinking the dogs in this household, smart as we are, would not make good service dogs or therapy dogs.  My human jokes that she NEEDS therapy because of us.  

So while I'm clearly a puppy fan, I must confess that there are good things about kittens too!  So we'll share our celebration today.  Now. Can we get one?

Have a purrr-fectly great day!