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5 Things Dog-People Should Know About Cats
I’ve been writing a bit about dogs lately (Want a Better Life — Walk Your Dog and Ten Life Lessons From Your Dog) and my cats have informed me it’s their turn. Fair enough. Besides, if I don’t go along with their demands, I might find myself a victim of their 4:30am “wake-up-and-feed-me” dance routine, complete with vocals.
First, a confession — I was solidly a dog-person until I was almost 30. Due to allergies, my own and my dad’s, we never had cats growing up. Or, now that I think about it, maybe my parents just didn’t like cats. I grew up with dogs. My friends had dogs. It took me a long time to even remember anyone I knew who had cats. That said, at age 28, I had a cat adopt me while on vacation in Hawaii. He was very much a dog personality-wise. He would come when I called, hang out underfoot waiting to be fed, and when it was time to go home, he packed himself in my suitcase and refused to leave. This was my first real glimpse at how cool a cat could be.
All this is meant to illustrate that I was not born a cat-person, so cats have had to work their way into my life and heart through some hard work, and well-timed appeals for a belly rub. (I am a total sucker for a cat wanting his belly rubbed. It has resulted in the adoption of at least 3 cats.) Despite my slow start, I am now both a dog-person and a cat-person; a dog person by birth and…