"David" wrote in message
I have cats because I like them, they have minds of their own whereas
dogs
are just being subordinate to their leader as they would be in their
pack,
if you want to call that friendship, fine.

I think you're confusing "minds of their own" with instinctive behaviour
Bob, its a bit of wishful thinking on the part of pet owners
--

Well of course, all animals including us have some instinctive behaviour,
but not all is instinctive, or pre-programmed behaviour or animals would not
survive in different surroundings or when they come across something alien
and new. No, they learn new tricks to deal with the situation, indeed it's
not instinctive for a cat to use a dirt tray but if their Mum (or staff)
trains them, then they do.
A lot of animals seem to be capable of individual learning in my experience.
Like the Crow that follows Sue's sister around Bushey Park, it knows it can
get dog treats from her. Some would say that's instinctive, of course, but
how can it be?
But if it is instinctive, then why isn't everything we humans do called
"instinctive".

--
Bob

www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in
Runnymede fighting for it's existence.