It is the age-old debate – is it truly better to be a cat or a dog?
Celebrating our enduring and deep connection to our feline and canine companions – from working animals to close companions, mythology to pop culture – we invite you to help us resolve this argument once and for all.
Hosted by comedian, writer and actress Tegan Higginbotham, Team Cat and Team Dog will put forward their arguments – but you, our audience, will be the ultimate deciders.
Before the debate, see over 250 works of art and design featuring these beloved animals in Cats & Dogs, an exhibition that reveals how our domesticated companions have long been a rich source of visual imagery – from ancient history to the present day.
HOST
Tegan Higginbotham is a comedian, writer and actress who contributes regularly as a sports columnist for The Age. She joined Nicole Livingstone and Amberley Lobo as co-host and regular panelist on the one-hour live entertainment and sports comedy panel show called Sideliners which premiered on ABC TV on 30 June 2017. In March 2024, Tegan joined Triple M’s Marty Sheargold Show as executive producer.
Casey Bennetto is an award-winning writer, musician and radio broadcaster. He wrote the musical KEATING!, hosts the program Superfluity on Melbourne’s 3RRR, and has appeared in places as diverse as ABCTV’s Spicks and Specks, the Melbourne International Arts Festival and the Festival of Dangerous Ideas at Sydney Opera House.
Laurie Benson is Curator of International Art at the National Gallery of Victoria and co-curator of Cats & Dogs.
Tegan Higginbotham is a comedian, writer and actress who contributes regularly as a sports columnist for The Age. She joined Nicole Livingstone and Amberley Lobo as co-host and regular panelist on the one-hour live entertainment and sports comedy panel show called Sideliners which premiered on ABC TV on 30 June 2017. In March 2024, Tegan joined Triple M’s Marty Sheargold Show as executive producer.
Paul Verhoeven is an Australian broadcaster, comedian, journalist and author and the host of Overnights on ABC. You may also recognise Paul from his time as a Triple J presenter, appearing regularly on Robbie, Marieke and The Doctor, and with Tom and Alex, or hosting Weekend Breakfast. You may also recognise him from his role hosting Steam Punks! On ABC3. His books Loose Units and Electric Blue document his Dad’s fascinating and often laugh-out-loud adventures as a policeman in the 1980s. Paul and his Dad also host the spin-off Loose Units podcast. As a freelance pop culture journalist, Paul’s writing regularly pops up in The Guardian, Rolling Stone Australia and various other outlets.