No Mutants Allowed

Main diff imo is dogs are more dedicated to you in a hierarchical sense, giving you the role of a slightly helpless caretaker. You become like a mini-organization, you lead.
With cats, the connection is much more person-to-person, and any authority is shared on an individual basis. Which is why cats appeal so much to those seeking more independent attitudes. With a cat, you're a *team* - not so much a top down org.

Dogs are more useful animals period.

But cats are more rad.

Toront makes a good point. Both pets come from utilitarian needs, but dogs tend to cover more bases, having the physique to straddle pest control *and* work-beast, not quite a burden-beast, but among the best guards we've known. Cats are too small to be useful in this way.

But they are the raddest.

Being rad just makes you a hipster and hipster cats are the worst.