How many differences between dogs and cats can you spot, apart from their physical appearance, of course? Even though they have a lot of things in common, these pets are actually more different than you think. 

Even if you probably find it funny, well, those who want to become pet parents and don’t know exactly which animal to choose, this article will help them choose the right one based on their characteristics. Dogs and cats are different in more ways than obvious, from their behavior and personality traits to social interactions and metabolisms. Knowing the differences between these pets will help you better understand their behavior and life. 

So, here are some interesting differences between dogs and cats! Read on for more info!

They can develop different health problems

While cats can develop certain specific diseases, dogs are prone to others that cannot be transmitted to cats. 

“Dogs more frequently experience skin disorders, trauma, parasites (fleas and ticks), pancreatitis and lymphoma,” says Dr. Jeffrey Levy, a Manhattan-based veterinarian and certified veterinary acupuncturist. “In cats, we see many cases of inflammatory bowel disease, food allergies, asthma, diabetes, immune deficiency and feline leukemia.”

“Cats can, of course, injure themselves, but are naturally cautious and less likely to develop wear and tear on their joints,” Levy adds.

Cats need meat, but dogs don’t

As you probably know, cats are carnivore animals, which means that they need to eat meat to improve their metabolism. Dogs are omnivores, so they can live as vegetarians their whole life, without developing certain health problems. Cats need an amino acid that can’t be produced by their body, so it must be supplemented with meat.

“A few of those essential amino acids are only available in meat proteins—the two most necessary are taurine and arginine,” says Dr. Jeff Werber, a Los Angeles-based veterinarian and contributor to CBS’ “The Early Show” and “Sunday Morning.” “Taurine is necessary for eye health and healthy skin, and very important for heart health.”

“Without it, ammonia build up can’t be neutralized, so it will become toxic to the cat,” says Werber. “Cats need a meat/fish diet to get their protein from animal sources [and] get these essential amino acids.”

Dogs pant more often than cats

Even though dogs pant more often than cats, it doesn’t mean that cats can’t pant to cool themselves down. But “the reason we don’t see them pant nearly as often in dogs is they usually don’t exert themselves to the point of overheating,” says Werber. “They pace themselves better, and seem to read the changes in their body heat earlier than their canine counterparts, so they don’t overheat nearly as often.”

In addition, cats pant when they are stressed or in pain. “Cats usually pant when they are stressed, rather than hot,” says Dr. Sarah Proctor, clinical assistant professor and director of the veterinary technology program at the Thompson School of Applied Science at the University of New Hampshire.

Dogs are more social than cats

It’s obvious that dogs are more social than cats, but the reason is that dogs have been domesticated by humans and evolved together, so they have been socialized since ancient times. “We haven’t developed the same type of relationship with domesticated cats,” said Teena Patel, a certified dog trainer and the owner of the University of Doglando. 

“Dogs were originally domesticated to perform services for humans: herding, guarding, hunting; in the process, they’ve become dependent on humans for direction, sustenance and affection,” Levy says.

Cats can’t protect their owners in the same way as dogs. “They will hunt rodents, but not on command, although they may proudly bring you their prey,” says Levy. “And while dogs are usually predictable in their behavior, cats are more independent and ‘creative’ in their life skills.”

Cats can’t detect sweetness in food like dogs

Did you know that cats can’t detect sweetness in food like dogs? In general, cat food is not sweet, and cats can’t tell the difference between normal and sweetened food. 

“Cats are built to eat prey and a mouse has very little carbohydrate and pretty much no sugar in its body when eaten by a cat, so the cat would have no evolutionary drive to maintain a taste for sweetness,” said Dr. Proctor. “Since dogs’ diets are broader, the taste of sweet could be beneficial as the dog forages for varied types of foods.”

Meds and pets

Dogs are quite similar to humans in terms of the effect of pills, which means that there are more human drugs that are safer for dogs than cats. 

“Dogs are more similar to humans than cats, so there are more human drugs that are safe for dogs than cats,” says Proctor. “If the cat can’t break the drug down, it stays in the body and becomes toxic.” “Lillies are also very toxic to cats, but not for dogs,” adds Werber.

They have different techniques of hunting

As you probably know, cats are hunters – which means that they like to capture and kill animals – and dogs are scavengers – which means that they consume dead animals that have died from other causes. 

“Dogs tend to be better scavengers, and as a result, they’re more resourceful in that sense,” says Patel. This may explain why dogs enjoy puzzles and search games, while cats prefer a toy they can pounce on. “Cats typically hunt to kill, with less focus on scavenging,” she adds.