Cat Versus Dog: Round One
Dogs have the well-earned reputation of being a human’s best
friend. But what about cats? When given the chance, felines can
make equally wonderful buddies. Over the next four weeks, National
Geographic Kids will identify a few of the qualities you look for in a
pal and then compare the two animals. So keep reading and see
what you think.
A Friend Helps You When You’re Sick
In Defense of Dogs
One night, when Hazel Woodget lay down on the couch, only three of her four pet Chihuahuas
snuggled beside her. Pepe, the most devoted pup, perched on her tummy, stared into her eyes,
and kept sniffing her armpit instead. Annoyed, she pushed him away. Then the determined dog
pounced on her chest. That’s when Woodget, of Wiltshire, England, in the United Kingdom, felt
a pain that made her visit a doctor. Days later, a biopsy revealed a fast-growing cancer in her
body. Woodget underwent surgery, and as soon as she was home and recovering, Pepe
returned to snuggling. Months later, however, he started staring as he’d done before. Sure
enough, Woodget’s cancer had spread. She was treated again.
Woodget’s cancer reappeared two more times after that, and both times Pepe alerted her. “He
knew I was sick before I knew I was sick,” says Woodget. “It’s because of what Pepe did that
I’m still here.” Pepe was so reliable that his story was used in a medical research study to see if
cancer sniffer dogs could be trained. Turns out the answer is yes. That means hospitals may
begin putting sensitive-sniffing lifesavers on staff.
In Favor of Felines
When Tee Cee sits and stares directly into his face, Michael Edmonds immediately finds a
chair. That’s because Tee Cee is warning him that he’s about to suffer an epileptic seizure.
Edmonds, of Yorkshire, England, faints from the seizures. They can strike as often as three
times a day. But Edmonds won’t get hurt if he’s sitting down. Not only does Tee Cee warn
Edmonds, but the cat also finds and alerts Edmonds’s wife by biting and tugging on her pants.
Then the cat stays with Edmonds until he regains consciousness.
“None of us knows how or why Tee Cee does this,” says Samantha
Laidler, Edmonds’s stepdaughter. “But it’s quite reassuring. He hasn’t
been wrong yet.” All this love comes from a cat that was saved from
drowning in a river as a kitten. No wonder the Cats Protection
organization named Tee Cee the 2006 Rescue Cat of the Year!
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