Over the course of my life, my family has owned three dogs and five cats, in total. While each animal has had a unique personality and her own set of quirks, and while there have been some moments of frustration along the way, this experience has planted in me a deep love for both dogs and cats. At the end of the day, however, if I had to choose to have one pet over the other, I would be bringing home a cat, hands down.

To anyone blinking in surprise at that statement or ready to jump up and proclaim that dogs are by far superior: let me explain. My goal in this column is not to antagonize any passionate dog supremacists out there, but simply to encourage more people to give cats the chance they deserve.

When I get home from school, I am often greeted by two fur-covered faces: those of my dog Suzy, as she wags her tail and lets out a whine of excitement, and my cat Maizy, who waits more patiently until I offer her my hand to sniff and rub her face against. It is Maizy, then, who follows me upstairs and stays curled up nearby while I begin my homework. She likes to stay close—happiest just to have her girl home and to drift off to sleep while listening to my choice of music.

I have loved all the animals we have owned, so I do not base my opinion off of only one cat, but Maizy is a good example of how wonderful a cat can be. True, cats can come with some challenges, but so do dogs. Instead of dwelling on the negative, I would ask that students take the time to get to know felines’ better qualities. While every cat is different, they can be just as sweet, intelligent and playful as canines—and often, even more so.

Read managing editor Misha Rekhter’s opposing column here: www.hilite.org/dogs

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Emily Dexter at [email protected].