lol, I think you have your dogs and cats muddled up.
Whats an evolutionary letter? If its "A" or "B" or even "C" then i cant argue but from D onwards well obviously Dog is closer.
I suspect both are equally as good at foraging as is indicated by the fact they got this far in history.
Dogs also have there own personality.
Purebred Cats, just like purebred Dogs have been inbred for years and years. Funny that.
Most dogs have been bred for working at a very specific purpose such as herding sheep or cows or companions or fetching game etc.
I cannot think of a single cat that has been bred for anything other than its looks...............They are the ultimate novelty item.
A cat vs a dog in the thinking stakes is a no brainer........... Pointless even bothering to argue that.
Cats are there when you need them? For what? To fetch your slippers? To get the sheep in? To protect you from that person thats about to clonk you over the head?
There should be a law allowing cats to be culled. They are the single most destructive animal on the planet.
And they stink worse than any other pet.
Weird, I somehow missed this post.
Maz, I will make a couple points. First, while it's true that
some dog breeds are capable of surviving in a natural environment, I'd argue that a great many are beyond useless without human assistance. Released into the wild and left to the impartial laws of natural selection, I reckon 99% would die before making a contribution to their genus. Heck, the American Bulldog cannot even whelp unassisted. This is an insult to the literal definition of biological fitness.
On the other hand, the African wildcat (Felis silvestris) to this day occur in natural populations. As seen below, very little difference exists between this and your average feral stray. Almost all genetic markers are intact, and this goes for both look and behaviour.
Comparatively, looking at just about any dog viewed vis a vis to the grey wolf (Canis lupus), and you will clearly see that dogs have been subjected much more harshly to the pressures of human artificial selection.
That said, cats have also felt the cold hand of conformation breeding. In particular the Persian with its unnatural "extreme" squished face, the Scottish Fold, several hairless 'hypoallergenic' breeds, and the "Munchkin".
The worst part is, breeders continue trying to legitimize their perverse creations with kennel clubs simply because there is a fanciers market. Like they're creating the newest widget or iPod. In this fashion, we feed our once noble friends through the gears and winches of capital gain.
Ultimately, your reasons for preferring dogs over cats suffers from anthrocentrism. Unwittingly perhaps, you are contributing to what I feel is a growing problem -- that is, through self interest, we are losing the symbiotic respect that brought man and beast together in the first place.
He does not display aggressive behaviour in the car, in the dog park, nor at other people's homes.
