Kitty Playing With White Shepherd

People are drawn to animals. Some will have a dog, some will have a cat, and in other countries there are even more cat owners than dog owners. And some keep both a dog and a cat. Many would like to follow their example, but hesitate for fear that the animals will not get along with each other. There is indeed cause for concern. Although many cases of peaceful coexistence of pets are known, the expression "like a cat and a dog" was not invented for nothing.

Dogs are extremely social animals. They have joined the human community, where they perform many functions. They are not only companions, but also hunters, shepherds, watchmen, rescuers, guides, and even some diseases are diagnosed by smell.

Cats, originally solitary animals, initially proved to be useful to humans as rodent exterminators, but in general their reproduction and movement were much less controlled, and therefore domestication affected them less than dogs. Some experts believe cats are "under-domesticated." However, they have adapted to close proximity to humans and now more often play the role of companions, rather than hunters.