h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Surely, the most famous cat was Arthur who advertised cat food, he was so famous I believe he was even kidnapped (or should I say catnapped?).

Of course, as already mentioned there was the Bond pussy, (a white Persian) whose presence was intended to imply power, sophistication and affluence. Then there is the Boucheron cat (a black Persian) who is used to 'model' million pound diamond neclaces - again being used as a sign of sophistication and affluence.

In the film 'While You Were Sleeping' there was the little fluffy kitten belonging to the girlfriend, who Sandra Bullock referred to as "Rich Kitty" - again implying the kitten was a sign of affluence.

(In the Disney film 'Lady and the Tramp' the smart Siamese cats are the clever ones, who cause havoc and let Lady (the dog) take all the blame.)

There are many more, but I shan't go into them all. But the long and short of it is that it is Cats rather than Dogs which are used to illustrate someone's wealth/style/power etc.

Maybe, but dogs are still better. And speaking of famous cats, has anyone mentioned the cowardly lion from The Wizard Of Oz? Not to mention Mr. Bigglesworth.

Oh, No, double postings - they're like London buses, you wait for ages and then two come along at once.

I thought we were talking domestic cats here - so lions don't count.

Oh, okay.

I think cats being a sign of wealth, prosperity etc. depends on the culture. Romans for example perceived dogs as status symbols of power.

In the far east both cats and dogs are seen as a great sign of a BBQ

Try www.dinsdaleworld.co.uk

The Ancient Egyptians believed cats were sacred and some were even buried in their own pyramids, whereas they just treated dogs as......dogs.

When I was on holiday in Egypt a few years ago, a tour guide told me that the ancient Egyptians started to worship the jackal (their death god), Anubis because the dogs/jackals used to dig up the dead and eat them. The Egyptians thought that if they worshipped them, jackals would take a more responsible attitude to dead Egyptians.

Sal

As I like both dogs and cats, I must say that dogs make better companions. A dog will always be there to play with, lick your face, rough-houses with, play catch/fetch, pet, protect you, and even to dance with you. And they will enjoy it.
Cats are just kind of there.
That's why the dog is mans best friend.

It's really quite simple, folks:

= good
= bad

Cats are only in it for one thing: themselves.

This is very speciesist - free your mind!

This isn't really about dogs and cats is it? I wonder what a psychologist would make of all this. 'Spose it would depend on whether s/he had a dog or a cat.

Sal

Lions don't count? Poo. I was going to drop in Aslan from Narnia. Now there's a cat with power. But he isn't really a house pet, so I suppose he doesn't count after all.

Cats couldn't be guide "pets" for the blind/deaf, people'd keep tripping up on them. And they'd get fed up with going to the shops and lead their poor owners to the nearest garden fence to have a sing song. How many people actually bother trying to train a cat? They're fantastic for people who work all day though. I cat will keep itself amused for far longer than a dog.

Dogs, you can hug them, like a giant teddy bear, but teddy bears don't lick your ears. You can't really hug a cat properly unless you've got very very small arms.

Though I did see a cat that had been trained to complete a hurdles course. I think it was also on That's Life.

That poor stuffed cat, it was rather peculiar looking.

No more perculiar than Ester Ranzen!