Originally posted by: Aikouka
Well, don't get me wrong, I don't think it's cool to go around shooting cats with crossbows. I still don't think of an animal as "part of the family" though. .
Our pets were always part of the family. My dog, my rabbit, my ferret- they were all family members.
With dogs this is especially true, since they instinctively have a pack mentality and will hang around and defend the pack. If your family goes to the park and plays frisbee, the dog will want to play too. If your family member is in danger, the dog will defend you. It's easy to get attached to a dog.
I've never seen the fascination with cats since they generally seem to be noncontributing animals. Most won't go to the park with you, most won't defend you, they won't play fisbee/ball/run around with you. If you're lucky they'll accept petting and they'll lay around with you, but it's nothing like the bond that forms between dogs and people. I've found that moody, highly emotional people LOVE cats, though.
