These cats and dogs were not always at each other's throats, and in the end there was only a whisker between them.
A show called ''Cats and Dogs: An Illustrated History'', recently ended at the Toitu Otago Settlers Museum, and proved to be one of its most popular exhibitions, attracting 52,799 visitors.
Before its recent redevelopment, the museum usually attracted only about 60,000 visitors a year.
This total was nearly matched by the illustrated exhibition, which ended on September 6, having opened on May 29.
During the show, more than 30,000 votes for either dogs or cats were cast.
The dogs won by a whisker: 15,027 votes to 15,015.
Museum director Jennifer Evans said this ''very popular show'' had resulted in many visitors coming to the museum for the first time.
People were able to contribute images directly for the show and thousands of photographs of pet cats and dogs were contributed via the museum's Flickr photo sharing site, she said.
