He brought the coffee cup to his lips and paused. "I don't know. I've seen cats that cuddle up in their owner's lap that appear to be affectionate..." A note of suspicion hung in his voice. He sipped the coffee and then set it down. "But I don't know. I'm a long way from being an authority on cats. I don't like them."
"Surely cats are good for something," I protested. "What about mousing?"
"Few cats will do that any more," he scoffed. "They get fed too well these days. My yard is filled with gophers and there are cats all over the neighborhood. There's a lot of things that will take the place of a cat as far as catching mice."
"But aren't cats cleaner animals?" I asked.
He paused for a moment and puckered his face. "I'd have to say they probably are, if for no other reason than because you can leave a cat indoors all day. If you leave a dog you'll have piles around the house when you get back."
"Cats have better bathroom habits," I said.
"Yeah. That's why cats are probably more popular in cities," he said. "Cats are easier to take care of because you don't have to take them out several times a day like you do a dog."
"But, other than bathroom habits, are cats really cleaner animals? I know all kinds of people who are allergic to cats."
"As far as personal hygiene, I don't think there's a difference between cats and dogs. But personally, I think cats are destructive animals, and their destructiveness outweighs their practical use."
"Destructive?"
"Okay, I have a friend with a large field and a cat. I see a male pheasant and once a year or so two hens on his place, but I never see any baby pheasants. Birds, pheasants, quail, squirrels-cats kill them all. I'd rather see a bird sitting on my window seal than a cat."
"In a way you have to give them a certain amount of respect, though," he said. "You leave a cat in the wild for a week and it will fend for itself. You leave a dog and it will die. Dogs are more dependent on people."
"Maybe that makes them better pets," I said.
"Maybe so." He wrinkled his forehead and nodded. "You see women walking with dogs for protection all the time. You never see anyone keep a cat for protection. I don't think there's even a leash law for cats. Dogs get a raw deal."
Chuck rubbed his arm again. "You wouldn't be prejudiced by that cat scratch, would you?" I asked.
"I see no practical use for a cat," he said. "Dogs are better companions and, depending on the type of dog you have, I think they can earn their own way. I've never heard of a working cat. Never heard of a guard cat or a hunting cat, a sheep cat, a sled cat.... There must be a thousand uses for a dog."
