Perhaps it's a surprise to you, but one of my inspirations and role models as a family pet happens to come from the cat family.  I think this demonstrates how broad minded I am!
Calvin's friend, Hobbes, was a tiger who was a loyal friend to his companion and almost reached doglike intelligence with his philosophical musings and quips.  Of course Hobbes was only an imaginary creature and I am a quite real black Standard Poodle with a salt and pepper coat that flatters me.  Every young child should have a Buffy or a Hobbes to bounce things off of as he or she deals with the challenges of youth and adolescence.  A good friend with sound advice is hard to come by, and the real or imaginary pet is an anchor in the storm of hormones that swirl around the developing brain.  You know that your pet has your best interest at heart and that he or she will never talk about you behind your back.  You can converse with your pet in a spirit of mutual cooperation.  Your pet helps to stimulate your empathetic response as you realize he is dependent on you.  He wins in that you take care of him, and you win by becoming a better human being.  Life doesn't have to be "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short" as long as a Buffy or a Hobbes is in your life:)