Furry face melts a skeptic's heart

Some people have favorite jokes. I've got favorite comic strips.

There's one from "Peanuts" where Lucy offers literary advice to Snoopy as he sits in front of a typewriter, atop his doghouse.

"You should write about something pleasant," she says. "Write something that you know will make everyone happy."

So Snoopy starts typing: "The cat left the room."

In a classic strip from "The Wizard of Id," resident lawyer Larsen E. Pettifogger is working on a community property settlement for a divorcing couple.

"Just split everything down the middle," the soon-to-be ex-husband recommends.

Asks the wife: "What about my kittykat?"

Replies the husband: "Especially your kittykat."

There's the "Drabble" cartoon where Honeybunch informs Ralph that their daughter has chosen "Oogie" as the name for the family's new cat.

"Oogie? That's a dumb name!" Ralph complains. "What was wrong with my suggestion?"

Honeybunch retorts:

" 'Stupid Ugly Fleabag' wouldn't fit on her supper dish!"

You might not have picked up on it, but these comic strips share a subtle theme that piqued my interest.

I'm not exactly what you'd call a cat person.

Forget all that red state/blue state nonsense. The real philosophical conflict in American society comes down to this: dogs rule, cats drool "" or vice versa, depending on your point of view.

Our house actually has been a pet-free zone ever since our daughter was diagnosed with asthma years ago "" we even had to find a new home for Hogan the parakeet "" but I've always been partial to the loyalty and responsiveness of friendly dogs. Cats have that whole attitude thing going on, and I couldn't ever get one to play fetch with me, so try as I might, I've never understood their appeal.

Of course, I don't understand the appeal of lots of other stuff, too, like sushi. Or those "Real Housewives" shows. Or the Alabama Crimson Tide. So maybe it's just me....