Is there a substantial difference between a pet cat and a pet dog?
Kittens and little dogs are statistically identical, except for a few differences:
- Kittens have the M2_WANDER property, which means they wander randomly.
- Dogs are harder to tame at night during a full moon.
- When they grow up, dogs become Medium size, but grown-up cats remain Small size. The only difference is possibly squeezing through narrow cracks, and that only Medium creatures can wear shirts and armour... which I don't think animals can anyway.
- When they grow up, dogs weigh more than cats: 400 for a dog and 800 for a large dog, whereas the housecat weighs 200 and the large cat 250.
- Dogs bark, cats mew.
(Source: Nethack Wiki, and Nethack 3.4.3 source code).