It’s a matter of taste/what you’re looking for:

1. Dogs LOVE you, just by default and for no reason. You are essentially god to them. They’re natural team players who want to please you. They miss you when you’re gone (sometimes to an irrational degree), and they light the fuck up when you come back. But they’re extremely needy — if you take an extended trip your absence can be downright traumatic for them. And the love they give has kind of a shallow quality to it because it doesn’t have to be earned; we’ve created most breeds of dogs to be fountains of devotion, but sometimes that’s all you’re looking for in a pet. Human relationships are plenty complex enough, and when you come home sometimes it can be healing to just have an unconditional buddy.

Cats are, by default, essentially room mates. They recognize that you’re physically imposing (you’re a god damned giant to them), but essentially you’re a peer. They see no special need to please you, and they have their own agendas and personalities. But they’re also independent; I have three cats and I’ve taken week-long trips, and as long as someone can fill their bowls and clean the cat box they manage just fine. They’re happy to see me when I come home, but they’re not panicking while I’m gone. And the fact that they have their own personalities makes it kind of meaningful when they bond with you. One of my cats is terrified of everyone else in the world (that’s just her personality), so when she snuggles on my lap while I’m at the computer, well — that’s really something, isn’t it? And their unique personalities make them interesting little creatures to get to know.

I’m actually more of a dog person by temperament, early in my career I was living alone and I had to travel a lot, so I went with cats. They both each have cases to be made, and (perhaps most importantly) those motherfuckers both love a good drink of water.