Sitting at first place with over ten thousand more reads than the runner-up, Nur Turner’s (Class of 2023) “Why Cats Are Better than Dogs” is the most-read article on the Voices website. After being made aware of this unexpected popularity, my head was swirling with questions. Why so many reads? How does one pull off such a success? Are cats really better than dogs? Seeking more clarity on this phenomenon, I turned to the only thing I knew how to do (or at least I thought I knew): Write a Voices article analyzing its success. 

As one might guess by the title, the article is a list of reasons why cats are better than dogs. The author clearly illustrates common reasons such as convenience and manageability. She relates back to personal experience and preference leaving a the reader with a more connected feeling. Still, this didn’t feel like the magic that allowed it to turn into godly status so I turned to the comments for more insight. 

Though the article was written in 2022, the majority of comments are from the past few months. The user Annoymous cat stated in September, “CATS ARE THE BESTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

From the excessive amount of exclamation points I can only assume they are pro cat. Another user, Deryek M, had other ideas: “Dogs are probably just as easy to take care of as is it to take care of cats. You do have a point about dogs biting objects around the house, but this can be solved by training them (Which is not a bad thing) and purchasing dog toys for them to chew on. Also, taking your dog outside isn’t something that should be bothersome for the owner, and it’s not much of a hassle either ways. It also allows you to get a good workout in if your dog is up for it. You also do have a point about dog attacks being more violent than cat attacks. But I see this as dogs being better protectors than cats. It is a shame that many street dogs are violent though. There are also many violent household dogs, but this could be because of their territorial aggression. You could train your dog to be less aggressive which is very difficult, but possible.” Wow Deryek! Tell me how you really feel!

So, from what I can gather after obsessively reading and rereading this article, it is the statement that cats are better than dogs that makes the article so popular. It is just too controversial people can’t help but read and respond. In the end I don’t think I will ever be able to replicate its glory, so all I will say is, I like dogs better.