A tongue-in-cheek NPR.org headline comparing the fetching abilities of cats and dogs revealed a truth known by countless cat owners: Some cats do fetch.

"Cats Don't Fetch, But Know Their Names As Well As Dogs, Researchers Say," the original headline proclaimed. This didn't sit well with some readers.

"In what world do cats not fetch?" Kate Haffey commented on Facebook.

"Artemis knows her name and fetches," Brandi Whitson said on Twitter. "She's obsessed."

"My cat fetches, but only when he wants to," commented Charlie Whelan. "Which is why I like cats."

So if cats can fetch, why have they earned such a reputation for recalcitrance, especially compared with dogs?

"The success of dogs is built around their ability to please people — this is how they get their food and shelter," Jeff Podos, an animal behavior specialist at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, told NPR. "This is what dogs are all about. The more they please their owners, the more benefits they gain. Whereas cats just don't have this same imperative... [ read more ]