Yeah, yeah, dogs are bouncey and friendly and like to wag their tails. Not cats.

So people assume dogs relate better to people. Maybe you, or your friends, or someone in your family, has had little or no contact with cats and believe the stereotype: cats are aloof, unemotional. In fact, they think cats are incapable of interacting with people. They wonder, why even ask are cats better companions than dogs?

I like dogs, really, I do. But the stereotype about indifferent cats come from the uninitiated. Cats are wonderful companions, yet display their attachments differently from dogs, and differently from each other. They are, after all, individuals.

Most cats love being with their humans. Some cats follow their caregivers around the house, greet them at the door and curl up in their laps.

Some cats like being held, as if sharing a mutual hug. My cat Toby purrs madly when I hold him. Marnie needed to gradually get comfortable with being held. It took me a year; watch can I teach my cat to be held? Others like to rest on your shoulder or sleep on your pillow. There are cats who prefer solitude, but they too will appear and find their humans for attention. Many cats like to sleep with their people, and I prefer it too. Many cat people do: read about should my cat sleep with me?

Cats often sense if you’re not feeling well, and they will comfort you, cuddling next to you in bed.

Dr. Dennis Turner, an expert on feline-human bonds, found that cats can help us through feelings of anxiety, depression and fear, as effectively as a human partner. They also lower blood pressure and reduce stress.

According to Dr. Turner, “…the cat’s presence and their interactions can reduce bad moods. This wasn’t in any sort of clinically ill population or people with psychological problems, this was with average cat owners.”

There’s no doubting that cats are intelligent creatures. Cats are able to learn pointing gestures, and follow them – similarly to dogs. One measure of intelligence is determined by the number of neurons, rather than brain size. Cats have 300 million neurons in their cerebral cortex (the area of the brain area responsible for processing, problem solving, and perception). Dogs have 160 million neurons.

In addition, scientists consider a dog’s memory as lasting about five minutes, while cats can remember up to 16 hours. Cats seem to remember human kindness. I KNOW that rescued cats know their caregiver saved them from likely euthanasia, or minimally, brought them into a loving home. Over the years, whether my husband or I selected the rescued cat, that cat had a particular strong bond with the cat’s rescuer. Bear and I loved each other and had a sweet relationship, but it was my husband who scooped her up from hiding beneath her shelter cage. Bear was my husband’s. It was me who succumbed to Marnie at the Floridian kill shelter, and although she loves us both, she has a special bond with me. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

What about this? Dogs aren’t the only pets who play fetch. Years ago, our beloved cat Ludlow loved a good game of fetch. He preferred shoelaces. We’d toss them, he’d retrieve them and wait until we tossed them again, and again. Cats are easily amused with small things around your home, like a wadded up ball of newspaper or a cardboard toilet-paper roll.

Cats, like many pets, give us a consistency that life often disrupts. Our cats are with us, thick through thin. During upheavals in our lives, good and bad, your cat will be there, loving and supportive, curled up next to you, purring like crazy as you pet them, providing a moment of mutual contentment.

The next time you hear someone say they don’t like cats, ask them if they’ve ever lived with a cat. Then tell them, go ahead, pet a cat!