this post was submitted on 09 Mar 2026
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I'm a cat person who appreciates dogs, and this is spot on. Cats may demand food, but you can wait out a tantrum.
The fear of having to potentially clean up an accidental means I'm up no matter what if the dogs are waking me up. I don't like cleaning up these messes, and the dogs actively look like they feel bad watching me do it. We're all having a bad time.
I'd much rather have a sleepy, half-hearted argument with my cats than worry I'm depriving one of the dogs of going outside if they're having an emergency. Apples to oranges.
Cats will watch you clean like you're their butler
"You missed a spot."
YMMV. I had a cat who would start meowing at 5 am and would then destroy furniture and doors while meowing if the humans tried to "wait it out". Cats can have wildly different personalities and perseverance. Some are ready to meow the entire day and shit on your bed if ignored.
On the other hand, one of my dogs had stomach issues and got diarrhea while I was at work, and when I checked the cameras, she paced for hours trying not to have an accident inside. Meanwhile my cats would shit next to their toilet if it wasn't clean enough.
"I appreciate dogs BUT I've imagined the worst dog and an idealized cat for my examples"
If I don't wake up at 6 to let my dog out, he just....waits. If I'm stuck at work an extra couple hours, I don't fear finding crap on the floor because dogs can hold it
I can sleep in like 5 extra hours before my dog gets up off his couch about it.
Yeah, they're not birds. They don't just go the instant they get the urge to lol
Yeah, no. If you read my post, I was referencing dogs having an emergency (diarrhea, if I need to clarify further) and needing to go out. This isn't an imaginary situation, and every dog owner I know has experienced having to clean up a mess because their well trained dog simply couldn't hold it. It's not a criticism, as anyone with stomach issues that doesn't have access to a bathroom would have an accident, too. Cats rarely have this issue, because they have an indoor bathroom.
I don't know why you took my post as idealizing cats and criticizing dogs, but that's absolutely not the point of what I said.