How do you sum up life with animals in a few words? Some writers have done a pretty good job. Here are their words, and my thoughts on them:

“I’d like to take them [her puppies] down to the shore, but I’m afraid they might damage the sea.”
Dodie Smith, author of The Hundred and One Dalmatians

I don’t know what kind of damage Ms. Smith was envisioning, but after seeing what two cats can do to a house in two weeks, I tend to think anything’s possible.

I like mice, and chipmunks and laboratory rats. I’d probably like sewer rats, too, but I’ve never met any. They live in sewers, I don’t — in spite of what some unfriendly people may say.
George Jonas

Even if someone did live in a sewer, they’d probably never meet a rat if they kept a cat around. Hey, it works for us.

The greatest pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too.
Samuel Butler

And the dog won’t tell anyone about it, even if you do.

If a dog jumps in your lap, it is because he is fond of you; but if a cat does the same thing, it is because your lap is warmer.
Alfred North Whitehead

True, I’m afraid – one of the most affectionate cats who ever stayed with us was a “hairless’ Cornish Rex. They’re known for being cuddly, but I think it’s their way of staying warm.

A hen is only an egg’s way of making another egg.
Samuel Butler

So, does this settle the question of which came first?

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