Actually my father said the same thing about cats that you said about dogs. He never liked cats because he felt they demanded too much attention, they were too pushy.
My mother always had cats, and still does have cats. She has never been without feline company. But there is only one cat that my father ever liked. Maxwell, a rather large (not fat, just big) cat with grey/black stripes and a white undercarriage. Max was dad's cat and dad liked Max a lot because Max was not pushy. Dad would be working out in his leather shop and Max would wander in and lie on a table in the corner. He didn't come up to dad and demand petting, he just curled up in the corner to be in the same room.
And Galatea I have to say I've known a lot of cat owners and dog owners, and neither of them ever seemed to be elitist. At least they never seemed elitist about cats or dogs. And about the redneck thing, I know more than a few little old ladies who love their big dogs and they would argue STRENUOUSLY about that.
Where in the world are you getting those stereotypes? Maybe those are just local stereotypes but I've never heard of such. Elitist cat owners, redneck dog owners? I do not comprehend.
