Consider this old Russian proverb: “A man and a
dog for the yard, a cat and a woman for the house.” Call it sexist if you like, but there’s a measure of truth in it, since no one (male or female) can walk a cat the way one walks a dog. Historically cats have been associated with the
house (after all, they’re supposed to catch mice there) while dogs were xpected to accompany the family hunter (the man, naturally) and aid him in bringing home game. Even today there is still some of the old prejudice lingering in the idea that “real men” prefer dogs to cats.
