Persuasive Essay: Cats are More Convenient Pets than Dogs

            Before you try to compare a cat to a dog, you need to understand that both species of animals differ greatly.  A cat is generally smaller than a dog.  A dog can bark, and a cat can meow.  Cats can climb trees, and dogs cannot…etc, etc.  Because of all these differences, no one can really say, “a dog is better than a cat, because…” and vice versa as a proven truth (You may voice it aloud if you are stating it as an opinion).  Although the statement above is rather impossible to say truthfully as a fact, you cannot deny that a cat is typically a much more convenient pet than a dog. 

            For one, cats cannot bark.  This is a very good quality for a pet to have, because then you are not kept awake at night by it making a cacophony of sounds at every single random creature seen moving around outside.  Also, cats are not able to irritate your neighbors in the loudness sense, because they generally do not make many powerful sounds.  If your pet does not aggravate people nearbye, you do not get any rude phone calls telling you to “get your dog to shut up,” and as a result, you are much happier and at better terms with your neighbors (though you may not know it at the time). 

            Secondly, cats do not require walking - they know how to exercise themselves in the house, and the majority of them will come back if you let them outside.  If you don’t have to take your pet for a walk, it saves you a lot of time when you could be doing something much more worthwhile.  Also, when you don’t have a dog that needs to get outside, you aren’t required to pick up the waste they deposit when they relieve themselves in the middle of the sidewalk.  Because of this, you are spared the embarrassment of being observed picking up and carrying your dog’s business.

            As well as everything I have mentioned above, cats are very efficient, too; they can clean themselves.  Dogs, especially larger ones, are unable to perform this task, so you (their owner), are compelled to do it.  This can be a pain – especially when you are loaded down with your own work that needs to be done.  Dogs can also acquire terrible odors when wet, but the average cat hardly smells at all.  Consequently, if you do not need to give a dog a bath, you won’t get sprayed with foul water when they shake themselves dry.  This will definitely keep you happy.

            Lastly, cats are much more cautious than most dogs.  This means that they will not eat random objects that are very bad for them, such as jump ropes or plastic bags.  Since cats will not consume things that could potentially become life-threatening situations for them, their owners are spared the worry of their dog dying, the guilty feelings of putting their pet through surgery in order to get the offending item out, the expenses of all the trips to the vet, and the disgust as the dog regurgitates whatever it ate.  

            So as you can see, the typical cat is a much more convenient pet than the average dog and easier to look after.  A cat will be able to bathe itself, it won’t need to take walks, it will be cautious, and it most certainly won’t bark.  I am not attempting to imply that cats are superior to dogs in any way – that is a matter of opinion, but it is a blunt truth that they do have fewer needs than most other dogs.