It's a showdown: Dogs vs cats, which makes the better pet?

Pete Wedderburn muses over the pros and cons of each species

Pete the Vet: Dogs vs cats - the pros and cons of each species

Two animal species make up over 95% of the pet population in Ireland. Dogs claim the top spot, comprising around 65% of the patients visiting vet clinics, while cats are half as popular, making up around 32.5% of vet visits. The remaining 2.5% of vet patients are a mixture of small mammals (rabbits, rats, guinea pigs and more), reptiles, birds, and occasional oddities like spiders.

So dogs and cats are the creatures that have claimed the hearts, minds and wallets of the Irish human population. While dogs may “win” today on the pure number count, cats are increasing rapidly in popularity, with cat-only and “cat-friendly” vet clinics in Ireland’s main cities while dogs still have to make do with standard “every species welcome” vets.