Yeah, I think we are both talking about the same thing here but the words are getting in the way.
As a general rule: dogs are more eger to please their human counterparts. Dogs are pack animals, and so fit nicely in with a family unit or even a single human, as long as that human establishes the various positions w/in the pack (family). Because dogs actually become part of the pack (family), they will take an active role w/in that pack such as guard duties, alerting the rest of the pack to unusual activities, and as an added benefit, they take on the young of the pack (family) as 'wards' to be protected.
And yes, I agree that cats are more like humans (not a pack animal) than dogs. Yet humans and dogs have a symbiotic interaction and like that goes back 20,000 years. It is not by accident that that link was established, nor have modern times erased or even impacted it in any way. It is the very fact that dogs are pack animals and so meld into what we humans have as 'families' that makes the association work so very well. For whatever reason, I often feel like I have made a connection with a complete stranger of a dog in a matter of seconds and we are on the same plane, interacting. Again, I believe this is because humans and dogs have co- evolved to have a symbiotic association that not only survives into modern times, but actually thrives.
Personally, I prefer larger mammals: people, dogs, cats, whatever. Even w/in the dog breed, I prefer large, self- assured dogs. So cats, being smaller, are not as attractive to me, and being somewhat secretive tend to get into / sleep in/ sometimes hang-out in places inaccessible to humans such as under the couch, behind furniture, desks, etc., etc. A 100 lb. dog is ALWAYS present and accounted for and neither can 'hide' nor do they have the interest in hiding. I prefer that behavior.
Now, all of that said, please understand I absolutely do not [not] like cats, just that overall, with no specific examples, I would prefer a big Lab., Golden Retreiver (who does NOT love a big, shaggy, lovable and nearly perfect Golden?), a GSD, Doberman, etc. to the usual house cat. I think I would LOVE a larger cat, at least 50 and preferably 100 lbs. (think King Cheetah) but that is not overly practical nor easily attainable.
Over the years, I have been around some magnificent cats: a girlfriend of long ago had a pair of Siamese and the female (Toyon) was great: loved people, would climb up onto a shoulder, sing and lick my neck, would insist on attention and push anything / everything out of the way to get it. For whatever reason, she picked me as a 'buddy' and we spent a LOT of time together, due entirely to her choice though I would quickly point out that I thought she too was great, and always looked for her as soon as I arrived at 'her' house. A beautiful animal in every way.
All of that said, I do believe Phoebe is going to be an 'in your face' kind of cat. She has not yet for one moment concealed herself behind anything. She runs up to both of us and 'says hello' and interacts. She is not wary, retiring or timid in the least and yet she is not aggressive either. It is very early and yet, I think she is going to be an unusually human- interactive cat. And a wonderful pet.
So I think what you are taking as my criticisms of cats in general is just me stating my personal preferences, not the fact that I do not like cats. And I rather like this cat, and again while we are still quite new to each other and getting acquainted, I believe this cat will prove to be a wonderful member of the family, bearing in mind of course that she is going to the pound..... soon. Oh yeah, off to the pound. But in the meantime, she is helping my wife knit and I must say, doing a far better job of it than my wife usually does. True, the kitten is not really getting much knitting done but it sure is fun to watch her 'help'.
And BTW: we are in the process of getting her used to the cat box. She will leave wet spots in the box but nothing else. So far, she has left harder, firmer "presents" in the bathtub, as well as a potted plant..... twice. Too cute for words! But now we have the bathtub closed off and the plants removed from her access and so still hoping to get her to use the box. And so begins the long interactive learning curve where the kitten tries to train us while we try to train her. My experience is that it is a mixed bag with no clear winner :-).
Brian
I am not sure I said that I disagree that cats and dogs are different.... just that it is not uncommon for cats to be very friendly, interactive, follow, and come when called. Cats just don't hang on their human's every word.... and that, by me, is great! It makes them, in a way, more like us- social and yet also independent. I believe most cats NOT that way tend to had not been properly socialized and trained when young.