The Difference between Cats and Dogs

This joke was shared to me by the informant during the course of a conversation. She told me the also that she had heard this joke from one of her friends as well.

Informant:

“What’s the difference between Cats and Dogs? When you give a dog food, the dogs think ‘This human gave me food, they must be God. When you give a cat food, the cat thinks…’This human gave me food, I must be God.”

My analysis:

This joke plays upon common stereotypes that people have of the behavior of cats and dogs. Typically dogs are portrayed as friendlier to humans and devoted, while cats are depicted as aloof and disinterested.  It also humorously hints at a reversion of the pet/owner relationship through the owner effectively acting as the cat’s servant. I believe that the humor depends largely on the pet owner already having that stereotype in mind when interacting with their pets.