Dogs vs cats: And the winner is...

Dogs and cats have been fighting for supremacy throughout history. But which is paws ahead when it comes to popular culture?

Film and TV

The Hollywood A-list is pretty thin on cats. Most of us can name famous film dogs: Rin Tin Tin, Lassie and Toto, or TV stars such as Eddie from Frasier, Roly from EastEnders or Shep from Blue Peter... But try the same for feline stars and, beyond that white fluffy cat in James Bond, the brain goes blank.

Music

In the musical world, dog-related songs range from the offensive (Who Let the Dogs Out?) to the saccharine (Puppy Love). Even Elvis Presley grumbled, ‘You ain’t nothing but a hound dog’. Cats, however, have their own musical (Cats), band (The Pussycat Dolls) and theme tune (What’s New, Pussycat?). To be called a cat, especially in the jazz world, means you’re cool. Call someone a dog and you’ll probably be hit across the head with a double bass.

Literature

Famous fictional dogs include Toto from The Wizard of Oz, Fly from Dick King-Smith’s The Sheep-Pig and Old Yeller. Real-life pet dogs pop up in books too, such as John Grogan’s Marley & Me, John’s Steinbeck’s Travels With Charley, and Buster’s Secret Diaries by Roy Hattersley. Cats are not as prolific in the world of literature. They mostly pop up in mythology or children’s literature, such as Puss in Boots, Dick Whittington and The Cat in the Hat.

Internet

Cats rule the internet – because, for some reason, they are so much funnier and cooler than online dogs. LOLcats picture caption site has reached cult status, while Keyboard Cat, where a jazzy feline plays a comedy tune whenever disaster hits, is the latest viral internet meme. And while Snoopy has a dot com, Garfield Minus Garfield gets the comedy vote by disappearing out of his own comic strip.

And the winner is...

There’s no denying it, dogs bound ahead when it comes to popular culture. But then cats are probably too cool to disagree or mind very much. After all, can you imagine a cat doing its own stunts?

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