Cat & Dog Theology: Rethinking Our Relationship With Our Master

by Bob Sjogren, Gerald Robison

There is a joke about cats and dogs that conveys their differences perfectly. A dog says, 'You pet me, you feed me, you shelter me, you love me, you must be God.' A cat says, 'You pet me, you feed me, you shelter me, you love me, I must be God.' This book challenges the readers' understanding of their relationship with God. Our understanding of how we relate to God may not be wrong, but it may be incomplete. The God-given traits of cats ('you exist to serve me') and dogs('I exist to serve you') can be similar to certain theological attitudes held by many Christians. In our personal theologies, some attitudes may draw us closer to God, and others can also pull us away from Him. This book will help the reader differentiate those attitudes, and, as a result, draw closer to the God who delights in them!

Genres: Theology, Christianity, Christian, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Christian Living, Religion

207 pages, Paperback

First published March 28, 2003

Reviews

[Josiah Huffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book and gleaned so much. The contrast between a cat and dog is uniquely and accurately used to describe Christians.
A cat is all about itself and everything is for them.
A dog is about God’s glory and everything is to be shared and not just for them.
Not what can God do for me but what I can do for God?
I recommend this highly.

[Dottie Parish · Rating 3 out of 5]

The authors use the analogy of the difference between dogs and cats to describe differences in Christians. They begin with the idea that a dog says “You pet me, you feed me, you shelter me, you love me, you must be God.” While the cat says, “You pet me, you feed me, you shelter me, you love me, I must be God.” Also, dogs have masters. Cats have staff. The point of the book is that many Christians are self-focused instead of focused on God. They are on the throne rather than God.

This is very true and the analogy is clever but I tired of it as it seemed to dwell on the negative. We’re all born self-centered (sinners) and we’re all on the road to sanctification. There is much truth here but the poor cats are always wrong. They’re guilty of feel-good theology, selective reading and listening, selective application and selective theology. They also think life is supposed to be fair, they develop wrong priorities, and pray selfish prayers and so on.

I guess I love cats too much to enjoy this book. Plus, I would bet that everyone begins their life in Christ as a cat Christian unless they’ve been raised in a missionary home or taught these lessons early in life. There are many churches that do teach mostly the comforting part of our faith. We should be living passionately for the glory of God as dog Christians. Do I do this? I’m learning….but I’m not there yet.

[April Jurgensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll be honest: the title put me off. I thought it was going to e some weird book about how our pets actually attain some heaven of their own spiritual world. Clearly, if you noticed my rating, you realize I was wrong. Rather, Sjoren draws on the personalities of our most beloved domesticated companions to illuminate our attitudes and approaches to God. It was convicting and encouraging at once.

[Loretta Marchize]

This gave me a TON to think about. I really recommend if for all my Christian friends!

[Kari McDowell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure quite what I thought at the beginning, but by the end I really appreciated the book. It can be so easy to live our Christian lives focused on comfort and security and lose sight of God’s plan and God’s glory (which may require our suffering). Very helpful book!

[Nancy DeValve · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this book is based on how cats and dogs behave towards their humans. Cats expect to be waited on, they will come to you when they feel like it, and everything is about them. Dogs, on the other hand, are exuberant about being with you and they want to be with you. So, sometimes we are like cats and we want God to focus on us and what we want. And sometimes we are like dogs and live to give God the glory. He then goes on to flesh out how we can be more like dogs and less like cats.

The book was good and I enjoyed some parts of it. I especially liked his illustration of Jabez, Naaman's wife's servant girl, and Stephen. Jabez asked for God to bless him, and God did. The little servant girl had surely gone through much trauma during her life, yet she allowed God to use her to be a blessing to others. And Stephen, well, we know what happened to him! He gave his life for Jesus....literally. But God blessed all three and all three gave glory to God.

My main problem with the book was that it just seemed to go on and on. I had already gotten the point long before the book ended. I would recommend it, though, to new believers and I certainly didn't hate it.

[Cat Rayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, there is a difference between Cats and Dogs. Authors Bob Sjogrin and Gerald Robinson uses the stereotypes to identify these differences in Christians.

Initially expecting a humor filled book, I was instead surprised to find a great deal of theological points. Often, there was a sense that the authors were extreme to a fault. Reading the Epilog, one finds they were, by design. Their goal was to neither present the gospel in a shallow sense, nor cowardly walk the middle ground to not offend.

Lots of penciled notes in my copy, and I will be taking another look at this book again. Having had both cats and dogs the analogous points fit well. And note, cat lovers, there is no condemnation for feline types. Not wrong, just incorrect. True statement, and title of Chapter 3.

Cat and Dog Theology proved a new insight, and a unique way to address the ever-growing Self focus over God focus in our churches today. Read it and chuckle, you won’t agree with everything. It is a contemporary Christian writing that, like most, you “chew the meat, spit out the bones”.

And you will likely look at your pets in a new light also.

[Laura S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally I bought this book because I thought the title funny and planned to give it as a silly gift to my animal-loving parents. After reading a few chapters to get the gist of the authors’message, it became clear that the joke was on me and I am the one who needed to read it!

Although The authors’ style is a bit hokey and rife with “dad humor,” this ended up being one of the more personally convicting books I’ve read in a while! Some of the cultural references are outdated (I had to Google a few to make sure I got their context), but their message is loud and clear: Christians have got to have a balance of understanding that while, yes, God loves us, it is really not about us at all…it is about what brings Him glory.

The scales are so tilted in Western Christianity towards the message of “me” that switching to seeing God’s glory as the ultimate goal of all we do is, I think, a great challenge that many would find hard to accept.

[Hannah Hernández · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book! I HIGHLY recommend it, it's a fun-eye-opening-heart-wrecking-soul-stirring book that can literally CHANGE your woldview, challenge your faith and re-evaluate your lifestyle! Definitely a game-changer book! I've read it 2 years ago but still many of the things I've read come in specific instances during my days and I can come up and remember vividly many of the TRUTHS and FACTS of this REVOLUTIONIZING book! Go order it, read it, and LIVE it!

[Tim Genry · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are some books I try to read every year. I’m adding this one to the list! I wish I’d have known about this book 19 years ago when it was first published, yet it’s all about timing and this was a good time in my life to read Cat and Dog Theology. I’m looking forward to reading it again next year.

[Rod Innis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book. It changed my way of thinking about God and how I read the Bible.
Well worth reading.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! So good, and so challenging. Very eye opening.

[Lisa Arieta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended: reasses You way of serving, worshipping and prayer to God

[Tabin Lyatosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I made my faith complete

[Amy Coffey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read ! Life changing book for me

[Avery Amstutz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meh. Cringe low quality evangelical drivel.

[Shiranami Kuronami · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were one or two copies of this book in my uncle's room. I read it and let other people borrow it. It is a pretty nice and easy read.

[Giovanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best. Book. Ever. Everyone should read it

[Dillon Mundie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My friend let me borrow the book “Cat and Dog Theology” to read for my independent reading project. Two people were involved in writing this book. They were Bob Sjogren (pronounced show grin) and Gerald Robinson. These two combined their wisdom and theologies of different types of Christians in this book, one a cat, and one a dog. Essentially, a cat wants all the focus to be on them, for God to worship them, and for only them to be blessed, but not pass the blessings on. A dog, however, is what most people should strive to be in their relationship with God. See, a dog is loyal, and understands that everything they do is for God and to glorify God only, everything else is secondary. Dogs realize that blessings are meant to be passed on, not to be stored like many cats try to do. They put God first, and they don’t focus on the smaller luxuries in life that mostly sidetrack cats such as big houses, fancy cars, huge vacations, and other luxuries that might sidetrack you from your relationship with God. One thing I really liked about the book was that it directly quoted scripture, while italicizing parts where emphasis might be needed. It gave me a sense that the authors know what they were talking about, especially since they were quoting directly from the Bible. From introduction to epilogue, the book is 202 pages long. One thing I took from the book was how similar, but also how different, cat and dog prayers were. A cat prayer can be asking for basically the same thing a dog is, except a cat will want the provided blessings for themselves, while dogs want the blessings to help others. For example, a cat might pray for money to add a new gym onto the church, while a dog might pray that through their Upward basketball program, they can reach out to many young individuals and teach them to live to glorify God. See, a cat wants the money to make the gym because the gym will directly benefit them; a dog wants to pass blessings to the youth. Dogs see the bigger picture, that everything is for God and the glory of God. Something I didn’t like about the book was how it never mentioned that dogs need to reach out to cats, telling them that their theory is not wrong, but incomplete. Why should cats potentially suffer because they do not know their theory is incomplete? I would recommend this book to everyone because from beginning to end, the book is really interesting.

[Greg D · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author of this book actually came and spoke at our church. The concept between Cat and Dog Theology is the comparison of how dogs and cats relate to their master and how as believers of Christ should relate to their Master. Dogs will go to the ends of the earth to find and serve their master. Emphasis is not placed on themselves, rather all attention is placed and focused upon serving their master. Likewise, we too should place all of our attention and praise to glorify our Master, God. Cats on the other hand wish to be served. It's all about them. Their masters serve, pet, and feed them with no real acknowledgement of their thankfulness and gratitude. This is a great display of how NOT to show love to our Master who does everything to ensure the best for us. In theory this is a great illustration with a great concept on how we should love and relate to our Heavenly Father.

[elfsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anjing berkata, "Engkau memberiku makan,Engkau mengelusku,Engkau memberiku tempat,Engkau mengasihiku,Engkau pasti TUANKU,Engkau pasti Allah..."

Kucing berkata, "Engkau memberiku makan, Engkau mengelusku,Engkau memberiku tempat,Engkau mengasihiku,Aku Pasti yang jadi Tuan,Aku pasti Allah!"

Kucing dan Anjing adalah dua binatang peliharaan yang memiliki sikap yg kontras terhadap tuannya.

Buku ini menceritakan ilustrasi dengan lambang kedua binatang tersebut ttg hubungan seseorang dengan Allah.
Yang menarik adalah ketika buku ini mengungkapkannya dengan bahasa sederhana dan aplikasi-aplikasi nyata dalam kehidupan sehari-hari yg terkesan sepele bahkan sering terlupakan oleh manusia tetapi berarti.

[Emmanuel Kajan · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of those books that touch me to the very core regarding my spiritual life..
As Christian, our relationship with God can be defined as Dogs and Cats..
A cat is basically someone who treats God as a Being that serves his (our) purposes.. Loving God only if God blesses us.. treating God like Santa Claus..
Whilst a dog is someone who reveres God, does everything out of love for Him.. accepts situations and setbacks, and learn to look at things God's way..
From what I see, there are such Christians, and I've been a cat for more than one occassion..
Bob's take on this subject; his description and illustration is funny, yet it strikes me to the chord..

[Clint · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this book up at 1/2 price because the cover and title looked funny. Reading it though was a quite humbling. I am both a cat and dog owner so I can relate to how the author uses them to compare how Christians portray themselves. As I was reading it, I kept reflecting on my own Christ way of living began seeing how other Christians live their lives. I was able to connect this book with the most recent book that I had read, Unchristian by David Kinnaman, which now I see that most Christians use Cat Theology, which is why so many people are turned off from the Christian faith. its a pretty quick read and fairly easy to understand.

[Sah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really has affected my way of living and i really like it, as if i was like living for God, Himself right now. I don't now, but this book changed the way i see things, and i often do chores that wasn't mine and help my parents on their household chores.

God is truly great, "Nothing is an Accident" according to this book, well, i wouldn't wonder if God intended me to read that book, because God is the commander in chief in my life now and i like it or love it. After reading it, i carefully choosing my decisions and i think of God's glory if it means sacrificing my habits.

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy read that will change your life. Sjogren and Robison address the differences between "cats" (self-centered Christians) and "dogs" (God-centered Christians) from a solid biblical perspective, focusing on such practical areas as prayer, financial generosity and material possessions. This is a unique book that will both entertain and convict, and it will get all ages of Christians thinking about what is really the focus of their lives. "Dog and Cat Theology" is a must-read for Christians in America today.

[Nancy Bandusky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Using the typical attitude of cats and dogs to explain how Christians can go wrong in their view of God, the authors bring an important issue to the reader in an understandable way.

The authors provide several examples of the cat way (it's all about me) and counter them with the dog way (it's all about God) to show how we are here to bring glory to God.

I found the book to be a little tedious in driving home the point, but perhaps that is necessary to get the point to stick. The book is worth finishing.

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Randomly pulled this off my parents bookshelf, was skeptical at first and didn't get a rave review from mom. But I really enjoyed this quick read. It's a bit conservative at times, and could probably use an edit for redundancy but the premise is compelling and very relevant for me. The image of cats and dogs is easy to remember. And as a dog person, makes perfect sense to me.

The Worship is Life chapter reminded me of that book by Brother Lawrence where everything can be done in constant prayer and constant meditation of God's glory, from washing the dishes to tilling the field.

[Ian Rees · Rating 4 out of 5]

A real challenge to the way we think about God's relationship with us and what we expect of him. With its theme "it's not about you" it is particularly relevant for western Christians brought up in a culture that tells us the world revolves around us. The authors illustrate this from the perceived characteristics of cats and dogs with plenty of humour and illustrations which are also frequently quite pointed.

[Kari Scare · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the premise behind this book is good & provides an accurate & interesting analogy for assessing one's approach to church, faith, etc., I just did not feel my time would be well spent finishing the book. So, I stopped about halfway through. The book needs a solid rewrite for one thing, and maybe I could have stayed engaged. May pick it up again @ some point, & will definitely refer to the main premise in various ways.

[Debi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know this book is "extreme" but the author did that to get the reader's attention. If you read to the end you will see that was the intention all along. This book was an eye-opener for me. I realized pretty quickly that I am a "cat". It has helped me focus more on being a dog and recognizing when I am slipping back into the "privileged me" mode.