Umm, actually by definition they aren't...

I spotted this "Dogs are People Too" bumper sticker on the side of a Subaru wagon parked in the lot of the Towson Target today.

I have a cat, and I love the little furball. It's amazing how much personality a small animal can have, and there's a certain feeling of being wanted when a cat curls up in your lap and purrs.

But I draw the line at people who refer to their pets as their children or say that they are people. By definition, they aren't. And there are huge differences between pets and humans - I left my kitten home alone for 12 hours a daywhen she was 6 weeks old. Try that with a baby human, and you will end up in jail. My cat will never graduate from college or get a job like a human child. If she ever stops scratching the sofa or biting my arm, it will be because she doesn't like getting sprayed with water or yelled at, not because she respects property or understands that you shouldn't cause people physical pain.

And that is why dogs and cats are not people. They are dogs and cats.