Cat Lovers and Dog Lovers Really Are Different

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I love both dogs and cats, but since I have lots of dogs it’s not wise to have cats, at least from the cat’s perspective.  I do have a lot of friends who have cats, exclusively, and they don’t seem all that different from me, a dog lover.  Then again I didn’t have the benefit of the latest study concerning dog and cat people.

Research has shown that cat lovers are smarter than dog lovers.  (Shutter Stock)
Research has shown that cat lovers are smarter than dog lovers.
(Shutter Stock)

From Newser:

“Dog people” and “cat people” may both fall into the animal lover category, but they’re not exactly cut from the same cloth, a new study finds. Carroll University researcher Denise Guastello and her team surveyed 600 college students and found cat lovers to be more open-minded, sensitive, and non-conformist than the dog-fancying majority, which, besides being more outgoing, was more inclined to follow rules. Perhaps the most contentious finding of those presented on Saturday: Cat lovers emerged as more intelligent, LiveScience reports, without elaboration.

The findings echo a 2010 survey that found dog people to be 15% more extroverted and cat people to be 11% more open (indicating they are less likely to have conventional beliefs), Psychology Today reported. Guastello suggests that the mechanics of caring for the respective creatures may play a role—dogs need walks, while introverted cat lovers can curl up with a book. Cat people reported most valuing the affection cats offer, while dog lovers most appreciate the companionship, she adds. As for the breakdown of our own affections, roughly 60% of those surveyed professed to being dog people, while 11% identified as cat people; the rest said they were both or neither. Guastello noted the results could differ among other age groups.

About Post Author

Professor Mike

Professor Mike is a left-leaning, dog loving, political junkie. He has written dozens of articles for Substack, Medium, Simily, and Tribel. Professor Mike has been published at Smerconish.com, among others. He is a strong proponent of the environment, and a passionate protector of animals. In addition he is a fierce anti-Trumper. Take a moment and share his work.
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9 years ago

OH YES WE ARE!

9 years ago

OH NO WE’RE NOT!

Mary McCurnin
9 years ago

split personality here. 3 cats 3 dogs 2 children 1 husband no tv

Reply to  Mary McCurnin
9 years ago

No TV and only 2 children?….sorry…behave Norman 😉

AFC Ajax Now
9 years ago

Cat and dog lovers are different, yes. Dog lovers tend to smell bad on account of having dogs around them all the time, wet hairy dogs. Dogs smell, dog owners smell bad, dog owners houses smell bad, it’s common knowledge. The urine of a cat is a most disgusting aroma, I think maybe worse than a dog but thankfully a cat will urinate outside whereas a dog will stink out the entire house and its tennants. I have heard that a dog that is shaved will smell bettter but to me this is too much overhead in keeping a dog. If there was a dog shaving service then, perhaps, but not a hairy smelly dog, no. For this reason I can agree that cat owners are more intelligent because their home doesn’t smell as bad a dog owner’s house and they also have to carry dog excrement around in a bag, eewww! I wouldn’t even carry mine round in a bag but maybe if I was camping or on colostomy!

AFC Ajax Now!!!

Reply to  AFC Ajax Now
9 years ago

‘Dog lovers tend to smell bad’……I now need to change my pants 🙂

Rachael
9 years ago

Both a cat and dog lover here. We have three cats and six dogs and they all live in harmony. As to the more intelligent cat lover I don’t know. My hubby, the dog fan, is a pretty bright guy.

Reply to  Rachael
9 years ago

My wife and I have 5 cats. I have a dog who has adopted me from next door. My wife is very intelligent and then there’s me….mmmm…I think the cat lovers have it 😉

Marsha Woerner
9 years ago

I am definitely one of those 11% who are cat lovers. Don’t get me wrong; I absolutely love dogs, too, but they really don’t fit with my lifestyle. Additionally, I would want a big dog. I mean BIG! I mean like an English mastiff big. My husband, whom I love very much and with whom I desire to live, won’t have a pet that weighs more than 1/10 his weight. I like to think that I’m smarter than most :-), and as far as outgoing is concerned, well, I’m a lot more outgoing now that I was as a child. Back then, I hated everyone, and everyone hated me. I suppose it was a great symbiosis :-). But I have always loved cats, even before I had one. My cousins had cats, and although I saw them only once a year, and they were young, and I was young, and the cats really have much to do with any of us, I knew I wanted a. I have always had a cat since I moved out of the city until my 1st 3 years of college.

9 years ago

We can always find a survey or “study” to confirm anything we want to believe.

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