When I bring up the subject of cats on this blog, as I so often do, it’s party because, well, I’m a bit of a fan. But it’s also because I know it confuses and irritates the misogynists who read this blog, inveterate cat-haters all (or almost all). I’ve never quite understood the depth of the animosity the guys in the manosphere seem to have towards cats.
But now one of these cat haters has provided us with a theoretical explanation for his catphobia. In a post with the suggestive title “Limp-Wristed Cat Lovers, Beautiful Dog Lovers,” the guy behind the PUA blog LaidInNYC explains why real men — and real women — hate cats and love dogs instead.
Dogs are loyal, obedient, and affectionate.
Masculine men love these qualities in our companions, and they are qualities we want in our women as well.
Cats are selfish, independent, and alpha.
Masculine men hate these qualities in our companions. This is because masculine men are the owners, not the owned.
Huh. It’s weird how these descriptions of “alpha males” often read like confessions of massive insecurity. So “masculine men” are so insecure they can’t stand being challenged even by their pets? They’re so threatened by the independence of other creatures that they can’t tolerate a pet that might sometimes wander off into another room to take a nap?
But according to Mr. LaidInNYC, it’s the cat-loving dudes who are the sissies:
95% of men who love cats are either gay or have sub fantasies*. If you like cats, you like not being in control.
Well, all except for a small-percentage of super-alpha dudes who are so manly they can tame even the mighty housecat:
There are a small percentage of straight alpha seducers that like to own cats. The reason is they love dominating an already dominant living thing. They like to stare down and dominate their cats just because they can.
Welcome to my world.
Well, ok, sometimes the cats stare me down.
But what about the women? If masculine men love dogs, shouldn’t feminine women love cats? Then why do manosphere dudes so regularly hurl abuse on women with cats?
Well, LaidInNYC has an answer for that: it turns out that truly feminine women actually prefer dogs to cats, but for a totally different reason than men.
While men love the loyalty and obedience, girls are much more likely to coo over a dogs unconditional love, furry cuddles, and “look how cute he looks when he does that thing with his paw” type stuff.
Feminine girls love their dogs but they don’t enjoy training them, letting them run in an open field and feeling pride when the dog comes right back when called, punishing them when necessary, etc. …
Most of the feminine dog lovers I know already have strong male dominance types in their life, be it a strong father, boyfriend, or husband, and they just like the dog as another source of love. … cats are superfluous when you have a man to obey.
It’s a different story indeed for “the masculine, ugly, old, short-haired, barren feminists who end up being cat ladies.”
Ugly masculine girls, on the other hand, cannot find a male to dominate them in their social life because they lack the beauty. Since being dominated by a strong independent entity who doesn’t need her is so important to a woman, she must seek out that domination. Ugly girls find this in either a career, feminism, cats, or some combination of the three.
A job, a cat, some feminism: the holy trinity of MISANDRY.
I’m not not exactly sure how any of these things “dominate” women, but since Mr. LaidInNYC doesn’t actually seem to know anything about anything, I guess I’ll let that one slide.
In the meantime, I would like to treat you all to pictures of some of the evil independent creatures that make alpha males tremble in fear:
He was trying too hard. But he sort of raises a good point. It is funny that so many misogynist dudebros love dogs and hate cats. They pretend to be so independent and full of cold logic yet they prefer the pet who is needy and constantly reaffirms its love. Cats only love you after you prove your worthiness and they only you their love when they feel like it. They’re just as likely to be communicating to you that you’re not serving them properly.
If women were so weak and fragile, wouldn’t be the ones into dogs while the independent and secure manly men like cats?
Of course, in reality pet preference isn’t gendered as far I can tell. And plenty of people like them both. I like them both although I find dogs too time consuming and am content to love other people’s dogs and stick to kitties in my own home.
I find most discussions about cats or dogs, personality types and genders, bizarre. I got both and like them both. The main preference is more related to the kind of lifestyle you lead. If you are more of an outdoor person on the go all the time, dogs fit better. I prefer dogs because I like to do stuff with my pets. You cant herd, track, do agility, search and rescue with a cat. A cat is like the friend you enjoy lounging on the sofa and watch a movie with, a dog is the friend you go hiking or play soccer with. I think there might be something with introverts tending to prefer cats because they like their space and their quiet time and extraverts leaning toward dogs because they like to interact more. But there would be gazillions of exceptions.
I’m generally very satisfied to be a servant of the cats. However, I do wish I could bring them to outdoor things with me like you can with dogs. Spayed and neutered cats tend not to like leaving home though.
Our cats sometimes take me for a walk. They have their shots, collars with bells (cos we like birds) and come and go as they please through a convenient cat-sized window.
Some twilights – evening, or early morning if I’m up – they miao at me, go through the window, come back in, miao, go out, come in again. This means “walk with us”.
We explore the alleys and back streets – they stick closer when we are in Other Cat territory and spread out more when they feel safer.
That’s so cute! Darrow doesn’t mind a leash actually. But he’s afraid of traffic and doesn’t want to explore anything but yards. I probably don’t need a leash to bring outside because I doubt he’d run off. But I live in an apartment building that he can’t request to be let back into so I can’t take him out unsupervised. Dracarys has shown absolutely no desire to leave my apartment. She went into the hall for about five seconds one time and ran back inside never to venture out again. She was a stray before she wound up in the Humane Society so I’m not surprised she’s afraid to go outside and prefers to watch the world from the safety of the window.
Had both (pack is still at folks’ place, 600 miles away) and I love both. My sister just has a kitty (17 lbs and not obese, so less a kitten, and more a giant), but she wants to get a dog, eventually.
One of the dogs is super needy and wants to have your love, cuddles, and words with him always, and one of the dogs is really independent — except for when he decides he deserves a treat, and then he launches into his “I deserve a treat” routine.
For the cats, my oldster is pretty independent, except for when he’s a) out of food (MROWER!!!!) or b) when he’s stuck in one room to keep him out of trouble. We think he gets cuddly out of boredom. Either that, or so that he can sleep without worrying that he’s miss when the door gets opened…
Sister’s cat? Kind of like a mini-dog. Wants to play, wants treats, comes when he’s called, wants cuddles, all the time. Likes riding on shoulders, too, so maybe some parrot in there…
He mew’s pittifully if he’s being ignored.
I cannnot speak for women,of course,but the primary reason most men hate cats is obvious.They are a blow to his ego. Most men being control freaks,can’t stand the idea of not being able to control a four legged creature. It just kills them. It could also explain why so many men beat dogs. Personally I think cats are very cool. Being a single,live alone person,I have no time for dogs,and am not impressed with all that drooling and slobbering.
Just came across this site and am laughing out loud at some of the responses. I have small children,and a couple of cats.(i also have a dog) Cats,if treated well,are no more a danger to kids than an unruly or excitable dog is. The reason most men I know don’t like cats,is because they can’t control them. I find them to be a lot of fun,especially as kittens. If you take your time,and exercise patients you can bond with a cat as easily as with a dog.
Men like you ought to respect women. Not dominate women.
Reblogged this on OWO and commented:
Some ALPHA MALE blogger thinks dominating women is the right way forward in a r/s or marriage.
He ought to start learning how to respect women because the person who gave birth to him is his MUM.
Interesting how so many men hate cats because they follow their natural instincs and hunt birds,but these same “macho’ guys have no issue with standing out in a field at daybreak,and shooting helpless doves off utility wires. Cats are much closer to their wild ancestors than dogs are,and can’t be as easily controlled. That’s another reason.
Men like who OWO?
read about a guy who hates cats because,1) they kill birds20 they are responsible for the extinction of lots of species. Yeah right! Unlike humans?
Dogs, (big ones!) , the descendents of wolves, assisted men for tens of thousands of years in hunting, conducting warfare, providing guardianship, taking part in rescues, etc. and hence it’s in our male biological memory (DNA) to bond with them. Cats, on the other hand, never did any of that. In fact, because of their small size, they might remind our biological memory of the prey we hunted back in our forest days. Women, on the other hand, kept them at home in the cave, probably because they assisted in keeping it rodent-free, thus endearing them over thousands of years to their feminine DNA. Of course, there will always be exceptions to these alliances, but generally speaking, big dogs and men go together as a result of evolution.
Biotruth! Do educate me more about how men don’t like cats.
Did Eddie get his knowledge of Paleolithic people from watching The Flintstones? Just because Wilma and Betty were basically June Cleaver in caves doesn’t mean that ancient women were the same. There’s no evidence that women didn’t hunt.
Also, rat free homes aren’t a matter of aesthetics. Rodents carry a lot of diseases and having cats around to kill or chase off rodents advantaged both men and women.
Well, that was the most pointless application of the big fat F in high school biology that is “Biotruths” I’ve ever seen.
Eddie, Unless the genes for liking dogs and cats are on the X and Y chromosomes, your argument is totes invalid.
I’d argue more for societal influences in this case.
Why does no troll understand evolution?
Biological memory as DNA? Are we back to Lamarckian evolution now?
One of the advantages domesticating cats have over dogs is that cats generally don’t compete with humans for the same food supply. A cat can keep your grain silo pest-free and unlike a dog also won’t eat the grain itself.
But seriously that weird kind of genetics isn’t functionally that different from Lamarckism.
@Kirbywarp:
No, Eddie’s actually a Goa’uld, trying to infiltrate earth’s defenses. He just sometimes slips at this whole “Pretending to be human” thing and starts reciting his fellow ‘snakes’ biological truths.
This cat sometimes has the same problem:
http://static.fjcdn.com/large/pictures/69/65/696589_3390695.jpg
“Masculine” and “feminine” DNA. Since when did chains of nucleotides become gendered? And how can you tell the “masculine” DNA from the “feminine” DNA? Does the “feminine” DNA wear molecular-sized skirts or something?
Aside from the other evolutionary boners in Eddie’s comment, cats have only been domesticated for 4-5000 years, and even then they have been (over most of that history) largely independent creatures who were kept around to control rodents, rather than the housecats we know today. Neither humans nor cats have actually evolved all that much in the last 5000 years; that’s why cats are basically a lot wilder than dogs.
http://freethoughtblogs.com/zingularity/2012/02/26/the-truth-about-cats-and-dogs/
@WWTH: Sounds more like Rudyard Kipling than Flintstones, to me. The Cat Who Walks By Himself helps out around the cave, while Barney’s saber-toothed cat is pretty lazy.
Cats are essentially self-domesticated, too. Humans + grain = feline food supply.
Then of course the Egyptians had to go recognising them as gods and it was all aboard the Feline World Domination Train.