Dogs have shared human lives for well over ten thousand years: they descend from wolves that drew close to hunter-gatherer camps. Cats moved in later, drawn by the mice in the first grain stores. On Cyprus, a grave about 9,500 years old already holds a human and a cat together, and ancient Egypt worshipped Bastet, a goddess shown with the head of a cat.
Thousands of years on, the question still divides families, flatmates and staff rooms. Independence versus loyalty, naps in the sun versus walks in the rain: both sides have a point. Cast your vote, then confess the silly nickname you give your pet.