The “dog versus cat” debate has been going on for a long time. Even though the answer to this debate boils down to personal choice and doesn’t matter in the scheme of things, your pet preference actually reveals a lot about your personality. According to a study by Caroll University, dog lovers are more likely to be extroverted, animated and compliant, while cat lovers are sensitive, independent, and open (via Live Science).
Denise Guastello, one of the study researchers and an associate professor of psychology at Carroll University, explained that many of these personality traits mirror those of our lovable pets. “It makes sense that a dog person is going to be more lively, because they’re going to want to be out there, outside, talking to people, bringing their dog. Whereas, if you’re more introverted, and sensitive, maybe you’re more at home reading a book, and your cat doesn’t need to go outside for a walk,” she explained.
Not to add fuel to the fire, but The List decided to get a read on how many pet lovers are team dogs versus team cats. The List polled 47,000 people worldwide to see where their loyalities lie.
Survey says … dogs win the popularity vote
According to The List’s survey results, a staggering 60 percent of respondents said that dogs are the best fur babies on the planet, no contest. Sorry, cat lovers, dogs seem to be more popular. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, over 48 million households in the U.S. own dogs, compared to under 32 million for cats, which is still an impressive number.
Back to The List’s survey, 23 percent of voters said that they identify as cat lovers, followed by 11 percent of people who are not fans of either pet. These stats were on par with our predictions. Cats get a bad rep, but it turns out that the reasons why are not always accurate. One common misconception about cats is that they are cold and detached. However, according to John Bradshaw, an animal researcher and author of Cat Sense, cats are just curious and natural explorers, which explains why they tend to go off on their own (via Popular Science).
There also were some creative survey answers
Six percent of our respondents weighed in with an alternate pet preference. Many commenters showed love to both dogs and cats, reminding us that you don’t have to choose just one in real life. Snakes were a popular write-in choice, with one reptile lover’s comment receiving over 45 likes. Goats, rabbits, and horses also made the list.
Surprisingly, one respondent threw sloths into the mix and got 55 likes. After watching the hilarious sloth sequence in Disney’s Zootopia, we get the hype (via Bustle). Some voters didn’t want to discriminate and took up a general animal lover stance, which we respect.
Of course, we anticipated a few out of the box answers and the comment section did not disappoint. One commenter identified as a “fire-breathing-alpaca person,” while another said that they’re more of a “big t-rex person.” They get points for creativity.
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