Have you ever been close enough to 'cattle' to smell cow shit, let alone step in it?

Most farmers manage cows, and I'm not just talking about dairy farmers. Even the USDA website mostly refers to them as cows: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Newsroom/2025/07-25-2025.php

Because managing cows is different than managing cattle. The number of bulls kept is small, and they often have to be segregated.

All calves drink milk, at least until they're taken from their milk cow parents. Not a lot of male calves live long enough to be called a bull.

'Cattle' is mostly used as an adjective to describe the humans who manage mostly cows, from farm to plate or clothing. We don't even call it cattle shit. It's cow shit.