Cats are amazing creatures, but I've never seen or known of a cat running to the door or gate at the jingle of car keys, excited about going on a ride.

When my dogs need to go outside in the middle of the night, they'll come & nudge me & literally hug my legs with appreciation on the way out to the back door.

And when they have an extra good dinner (leftover chicken soup or something) they show their gratefulness - it's almost like they cannot thank me enough.

There are so many ways my dogs show affection... and FEW ways I've seen cats show affection.

I am convinced that dogs feel empathy. A friend of mine was in a very depressed state and needed someone to talk to. He came over - we were sitting in back yard at the patio table when he broke down and sobbed. One of my dogs came & put his head in his lap. It was an amazing show of empathy.