Cats and dogs. No human can truly understand the mind of a cat or of a dog. But pretty fair conclusions can be drawn if we observe, think, and meditate on their actions and the manner in which these are carried out.
Attempting to put this into practice, I deduced that there is one particular difference between cats and dogs and their instinctive behavior. Particularly is this so in connection with cleanliness, in their “taking care of business.”
The Cat
When a cat (especially a female cat) wants to do its business, it seeks out an isolated, generally quiet locale. It usually digs into the soil (we’re disregarding cat litter at the moment) and then squats to do its thing. Afterward, it turns around and looks at what it’s done, then it turns around again and kicks in the surrounding loose soil, checking up on itself, until it is satisfied the task is done. That’s a cat.
The Dog
The dog sniffs around and chooses a spot. It doesn’t particularly care if it is secluded or quiet. It arches its back and does what only a dog can do, then stands on all four again, walking a step or two away, and then kicking its back paws on the soil or grass a few times it travels on. The critter rarely looks back and it never digs a hole. On the way back home, before its owner sees it, it spots some other animal’s droppings and gobbles it down with abandon. Yum!
Meditating on the Act
Although some might attribute the cat with a neat and clean nature, it should be remembered its cleanliness is not due to knowledge or pickiness. After all, these things eat mouse eyes and birds’ brains. No, it is due to an inherent instinct, a built-in program as it were.
As to the dog, it could be felt that the dog is attempting to fulfill, in some long forgotten way, the very same instinct. The backwards scratching motion being the symbol of the digging of a hole. But is this the case? Really, does it sound reasonable that an entire line of animals would forget a characteristic behavior? And how would such a change represent an improvement over past behavior?
Cats and Dogs – A Different Conclusion
Frankly, it seems unlikely. Note that the cat uses its front paws, whereas the dog deploys its front and its rear paws. These paws, especially the rear ones, are likely to accidentally step in the very mess a dog leaves behind. Would it not be logical to presume that the dog’s automatic action is an instinctive action to assure no fecal matter remains upon the paws?
Note: You might also enjoy Why Dogs Pee on Tires
