I originally joined Reddit in 2011, and in the beginning it was dominated by cat content. It was rare to see a post about dogs. Sometime in the mid 20-teens this phenomenon reversed. It’s always been a “pet theory” of mine that this reversal was due to Reddit becoming mainstream, and that it’s initial nerdy/techie user base preferred cats to dogs.

I think my theory is further supported by Lemmy. It’s pretty clear that most of Lemmy’s user base are techies, and currently it’s dominated by cat content. Just a shower thought. May be wrong.

NOTE: I love dogs and cats. This post isn’t arguing favoritism.

  • WhoRoger@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Are you saying that nerds don’t like going out, and can get too buried in their hobbies, so having a pet you need to walk several times a day is a no-go?

    If you aren’t, well I am!

      • ConTheLibrarian@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I got a cat at 18 for the same reason I don’t want kids lmao. I like kids. I also like dogs. But I like leaving the house for more than 8 hours more and for that you need a cat.

  • Candelestine@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I have noticed a similar correlation, at different places and in different times. The internet loves cats. Humankind loves dogs and cats. You switch from one to the other at some point of growth.

  • ChillPill@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    So what you’re saying is when dog content out numbers cat content, its time to look for the next new platform?

  • Drusas@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    I just don’t share pictures of my dogs because it would be easy to identify me (to anyone who knows me or lives around me) based on their unique appearances and names.

  • Obinice@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    As a techie that doesn’t like cats (people seem blinded by their cuteness even when every other personality trait is negative, they destroy things, only look out for themselves, don’t care about you whatsoever, will refuse to be trained and not learn boundaries, etc) this saddens me.

    I much prefer dog content personally. Where can I go for the latest hot dog content on this platform? 🔥

    • Raphael@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      (people seem blinded by their cuteness even when every other personality trait is negative, they destroy things, only look out for themselves, don’t care about you whatsoever, will refuse to be trained and not learn boundaries, etc) t

      My cats love me.

      Everything else is on point though.

      • Metallibus@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I disagree with most of the other bits too. They seem to be tendencies of cats people don’t take the proper care of.

        I’ve owned two cats for over ten years. They’ve destroyed a couple things. My parents have had 5 cats for about ten years and they’ve barely had anything destroyed. My neighbor who has had a dog for about a year and a half has had multiple pieces of furniture ripped, and many things around her house ruined/destroyed.

        Cats are solitary predators and not pack animals, so they are motivated more by their own needs and desires, but saying “don’t care about you whatsoever” just sounds like someone who’s never had a real relationship with a cat or doesn’t understand the way they exhibit their care.

        I’ve trained like 5 different cats to fetch, multiple cats not to go in certain areas of the house, not to chew certain things, etc. Most people try to train cats like they would train a dog - through showing disapproval towards behavior etc, which, as mentioned above, is just not what motivates a cat.

    • Sparky678348@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      While I think your opinion is whack, I respect it. I’m glad there are dog people out there even if I think they are crazy.

      • mikeyBoy14@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        You think dog people are crazy?? I assure you, there is nothing crazy about the chewed up baseboards and furniture in my house from when my dog was a puppy. Nothing crazy in the slightest about having a dirty floor 24/7 because she brings mud and dirt in from her walks. I feel prefectly sane when she wakes me up barking in the middle of the night because she hears noises outside. Calm and collected when she chews up fresh sticks all over the bed.

        You’re the crazy one, my friend!!

    • Monkeyhog@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      All the negative traits you list are my favorite things about cats! I love their independence and fuck you attitude.

    • DigitalAudio@sopuli.xyz
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      Yeah same. I’ve lived most of my life surrounded by cats, and I thought they were enough until I moved in with my partner+dog, and I realised I was wrong. Now I’m 100% a dog person, though I still enjoy a cat’s company, but it’s just not the same.

    • GONADS125@lemmy.world
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      I think this may apply to some cats, but certainly not all. I used to think like you, but I’ve met plenty of cats that clearly have imprinted on their owners.

      I think dogs have a greater capacity for this bonding, especially on average. But dogs understand humans/our body language better than any other species, including other great apes.

      We co-evolved with wolves/dogs for thousands of years before cats started being domesticated. We started domesticating wolves when we were nomadic hunter-gatherers. It wasn’t until we had our agricultural revolution and started settling and farming that we started domestication of other species.

      It’s believed we domesticated farm animals like goats before cats as well. It is believed that our domestication of cats began once we started having food/grain storage, and pests like mice started showing up. Cats started to hang around the food storage eating the pests, which is what is believed to lead to the domestication of cats.

      I love animals, including cats, but I’m so allergic to cats that my throat will close up… I’m so glad that I don’t have that allergy for dogs, because I definitely prefer them over cats. There’s simply no other animal that can interact with us on the level of dogs. We’ve coevolved with them for at least 20 - 30k years!

      Not all cats are heartless assholes, but cats inherently lack the deep level of communication and bonding that is possible with dogs. I really value that level of connection that cannot be had from any other species. A cat doesn’t watch a person’s eyes glance away, and then proceed to look where our eyes are pointing. Hardly any other great apes species are even capable of that level of understanding of human body language.

      If that is what you’re going for, dogs cannot be beaten. But that’s not the only factor for people to have an animal. There are definitely times I wish my dogs were more independent/less needy when I’m busy… Cats are a great pet for someone who isn’t able to be present enough for a dog. Some people don’t want a pet like a dog that wants to be with them all the time. They’d rather have a pet that is content doing it’s own thing.

      You can compare and contrast dogs and cats all day, but at the end of the day it’s all just a matter of personal preference.

      Edit: Some sources to back my claims. Dog domestication. Cat domestication. Canine comprehension of body language.

      • Coreidan@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Comments like this demonstrate how people just don’t understand cats.

        If you don’t bond with your cat that is a YOU problem. You are doing something very wrong.

        Dogs can be just as destructive if not more destructive than cats.

        I think ultimately you lack experience and have never had your own cat.

        I think it’s great that you love dogs so much, but every single person I’ve ever met who thinks dogs are flat out better than cats are people who always lack experience and don’t actually know any better because they are ignorant and won’t accept anything else.

        • LargeHardonCollider@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          I don’t think he’s saying they’re better, he’s saying it’s a preference thing and he prefers dogs because you can bond more with them.

          Cats are way easier to take care of because they don’t need as much attention, which makes them better for a lot of people

          • Metallibus@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            people seem blinded by their cuteness even when every other personality trait is negative

            Yeah, that’s not just a preference.

        • GONADS125@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Did you respond to the right user?..

          I have had cats in my household when I was a kid before my allergies presented. I’ve been around cats a lot (wearing a mask) as many of my family has them.

          Maybe you should refrain from pre-judging me and jumping to conclusions. I’ve cited the claims I’ve made above. Whether you want to believe it or not, dogs are capable of understanding human body language better than cats, or any other species on our planet. I value that deep level level of connection, which definitively exists.

          • angrystego@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Cats are like a mirror. If you love cats, they will give you love back. If you respect them, they will respect your boundaries. If you’re strict with them and want them to respect you just for being their owner, they will look at you like wtf and won’t care about you at all. If you mistreat them once, they’ll remember.

            • GONADS125@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              I agree with everything you’re saying. I responded to a user hating on cats telling them not all cats are like that. But because I shared scientific information about dogs/domestication, people are responding to me like I’m the user who was hating on cats.

              I love cats. I am just severely allergic to them and admittedly have a preference for dogs. I also acknowledge science and anthropology. Apparently some people are just biased and only capable of emotional reasoning in the face of information they don’t like. I was not saying dogs are an objectively better pet; that is down to subjective individual preference. But dogs having a greater ability to read human body language than cats is supported by overwhelming scientific evidence. I personally value that in particular. It doesn’t make them the best pet for everyone tho.

              I just find that subject fascinating and wanted to share. Crazy cat people can stop acting like I hate cats now… Talk about blinded by emotions…

              • galloog1@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                This thread right here is the reason I think that Lemmy users can be just as toxic as Redditors, They are just dealing with folks now that they disagree with.

                • GONADS125@lemmy.world
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                  1 year ago

                  For sure… but I think the percentage of extremely toxic users (e.g., racist trolls) on Lemmy pales in comparison to reddit. But this sort of defensive emotional arguing transcends social media and is so pervasive in our societies now…

                  People have grown conditioned to segregating themselves into echo-chamers thru various social media over the last 2 decades. But I see that in the real world now (in the US) in work settings, families, fucking beer brands…

                  We have grown to insulate ourselves from opinions and information we don’t like. We’re conditioned to believe that disagreement in conversation is a bad thing and unhealthy. We have grown to both struggle to differentiate opinion from fact, and to internalize our opinions/beliefs so deeply ingrained into our personality, that we interpret any challenges to our beliefs as a personal attack.

                  This makes dissenting on the most trivial issues immediately devolve into emotional reasoning, personal attacks, and just toxic behavior… Our society needs to deprogram the dysfunctional thinking instilled in us largely thru social media. Our levels of empathy in our societies have deteriorated in conjunction with the growth of social media into what it is today.

                  I don’t know how we change this when it’s so pervasive throughout our world… I guess acknowledging the problem exists is a start…

      • Willer@discuss.tchncs.de
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        1 year ago

        but cats inherently lack the deep level of communication and bonding that is possible with dogs

        inherently

        nah

        • GONADS125@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Yeah you definitely know better than the cumulative research of scientists around the world…

          Glad you cleared that up!

          • Willer@discuss.tchncs.de
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            1 year ago

            scientists

            yeah those would like to distance themselves from the nonsense YOU just made up rn. Citing non-related articles wont help you defend YOUR point.

            • GONADS125@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              All you’re telling me is that you need to work on your reading comprehension ability…

              I’m not going to perform a literature review for you. If you don’t trust my words or links, look into it for yourself. Just try not to engage in confirmation bias with your search queries.

              • Willer@discuss.tchncs.de
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                1 year ago

                I’m not going to perform a literature review for you.

                Well unlucky for you i will. And i conclude that you dont need more than celsius room temperature IQ to figure out that its a rather unscientific idea to make an totalitarian point about cats based on an article for dogs that does not mention cats once. If you wanna discuss your point then im open to do so, but dont try to hide behind other peoples work.

                Deceiving approaches like this are the reason people dont trust science anymore.

    • dustojnikhummer@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      only look out for themselves, don’t care about you whatsoever, will refuse to be trained and not learn boundaries It is incredibly difficult (like more difficult than training an attack dog to be a lap dog), but I have seen it. Cat that obeyed and loved.

  • FartsWithAnAccent@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    IDK, I am a pretty big tech nerd and still prefer dogs but that doesn’t mean you’re wrong: There’ll always be outliers.

  • WiseassWolfOfYoitsu@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I love my doggo. She is adorable and loving.

    Wife had two cats. Combining the animal families is… still a work in progress. Kitties are growing to like me more though, one actively seeks me for cuddles now!

    A very very good girl with a sleepy blep

  • NevermindNoMind@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Very interesting observation. Alternative theory: cat vs dog prevalence corresponds with users who live in rentals vs owned homes (homeowners or people living with their parents, etc). Cats are often the only animals allowed in rentals. It’s often not until you buy your own home are you “allowed” to have dogs.

    But I think this still follows from what you suggest. People living in rentals are often younger (and more attentive to tech and culture generally, so more likely to be early adopters) and/or often live in big cities which obviously have higher percentages of tech workers than rural areas. When you say reddit went mainstream, that could mean more older people joined (more likely to be homeowners) as well as their kids (living at home with the family dog).

    In my very scientific survey of me, I rented for a long time and had cats, and loved cat posts. One day I got old and bought a house and a year later got a dog. Now I like dog posts more.

    I’ll go now, I’ve given this far too much thought.

      • NevermindNoMind@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Lol fair enough! I’ve never been at a place that allowed dogs, only 1 cat (with extra deposit). I’ve seen some places that allow dogs under 30-40lbs, but I’m not interested in those kinds of “dogs”.

        • Ryumast3r@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Why do you put “dogs” in quotes? Do you not think they’re actual dogs? Why would you gatekeep a species?

          • Gray@lemmy.ca
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            1 year ago

            Wait, didn’t you hear? You must be part of the lucky 10,000! Scientists discovered last year that dogs under 35ish pounds are actually classified as birds!

            • Ryumast3r@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              Does that mean puppies are actually chicks and that puppies can evolve from bird to dog in a single life? Does this mean that small dogs, like other birds, aren’t real?

              The implications of this are endless, thanks for the insight!

              • Gray@lemmy.ca
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                1 year ago

                I know it’s hard to believe, but bare with me. Puppies are actually lizards. It’s a weight thing. They don’t have enough gravitational pull to keep their own internal heat, so they need to absorb it from the sun. You’re probably wondering why they’re okay indoors, but that’s because the light molecules reach them through the air.

                Source: I read a LOT of /r/shittyaskscience back in my day and I remember how this works trust me.

                Secondary Source: Scientists.

                Tertiary Source: When I say scientists I actually mean the Bible.

                Quaternary Source: When I say the Bible, I really mean the voices in my head.

    • MxM111@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      You understand that young people who joined digg, then migrated to Reddit are quite older today, right?

    • Sekrayray@lemmy.worldOP
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      That’s a really interesting thought. I’m in a STEM field so definitely understand the importance of correlation VS causation.

      I just think it’s a fascinating phenomenon. I remember Old Reddit was like 100% cats, and at some point a switch flipped. Lemmy reminds me of old Reddit in more ways than one, including this one.

    • Kyle@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      I posted a theory that dog owners are out and about doing things with their dogs and have less time and fewer hands free to make and post photos but I like yours better.

    • TheNakedFoot@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      r/BlueHeelers, r/RedHeelers & r/ACD were my copium for not having enough space for one and I miss it a lot

      I really want a heeler but I’m not subjecting those guys to a small apartment when they needs acres.

    • oce 🐆@jlai.lu
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      There may be an American bias here, where owning your home has more chance to mean having a garden compared to EU, which is more adapted for a dog.

  • Licensed_to_ill@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Most of us with dogs are lazy to post their pics I think. Also my dogs hate cameras. They know when I’m about to take a picture so all my pictures of them suck.

    Most of my pics are of them sleeping like this one