Are you a dog person or a cat person? Dogs are better than cats. Dogs act happy when you get home after a long day at work. They act grateful when you give the a treat or rub their belly. Cats? I saw a coffee cup once that said: "Cats know exactly how you feel, they just don't give a damn."

I'm old enough to know that compatibility depends on the details of life that are important to you. And one of those details that is the least flexible in my life is the question of what we end up buying from places like Pet Meds.

I suppose I could tolerate a woman's cat if she could tolerate my dog. But I've met a number of nice, attractive women who I knew, eventually, would ask me to give up my dog in favor of their cat. And I asked myself, why blow the money on a dozen or so dates just to end up at the end of that road?

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