Boy, if it weren't obvious before that absolutely everything about the infidels is reviled, this should clear it up:
Pet owning is not common in the Arab world, though dogs are kept for hunting and guarding. In large cities around the Middle East, stray dogs often wander the streets and are considered pests. Street cats are also plentiful, and people will often feed them or play with them — but it isn't a widespread custom to keep one in the home, and many cannot afford it.
However, in the past decades, owning dogs or cats has become a fashion statement among Saudis. Showing off a Doberman, pit bull or fancy breed of feline has became a status symbol.
Conservatives decry the trend as a Western influence, just like the fast food, shorts, jeans and pop music that have become more common in the kingdom, which is ruled by the puritanical Wahhabi interpretation of Islam. They say it should be fought because it is threatening the fabric of Gulf nations.
I guess you could say that lavishing attention -- not to mention billions and billions of dollars -- on cats and dogs is a sign of Western decadence. On the other hand, you could say that a society that makes women cover themselves in public doesn't have a clue what civilization means.
