This Study Reveals the Secret Lives of Cat and Dog People
What does being a pet owner say about you? According to the Rover.com’s report “The Secret Lives of Cat People and Dog People,” it may reveal a little more than you’d like others to know.
Based off a survey of 1,261 US adult dog and cat owners, the report not only provides statistical proof of how much humans really love living with their pets, but it also offers insight into how much cat and dog owners have in common as well as how different they are.
So, let’s get into the similarities first: If the explosion of celebrity pets on Instagram didn’t clue you in, this stat will: 84 percent of the dog and cat owners surveyed revealed that more than half the photos in their phones are of their pets. Animal selfies, FTW. Next, 69 percent of dog owners and 67 percent of cat owners routinely greet their pets before their human family members upon arriving home. Nicknames for pets is rather common among dog and cat owners, with 70 percent of both reporting that they have 1-5 alternate monikers for their furry friends. 60 percent of cat and dog owners agree that their animals are spoiled (duh). And finally, we already know a lot of people prefer cuddling with their dogs over other humans, which also happens to be a habit shared by cat owners, Rover reveals.
The differences are where things get more interesting—and more revealing. Apparently, cat owners tend to be the jealous types: They’re 16 percent more likely to admit they’re bothered when their cat dares to cuddle with another person. And if cats don’t enjoy serenades, someone should probably tell their humans. While human-to-canine convos take place more often than chats between cats and their humans, Rover reports that 70 percent cat owners enjoy singing to their pets. For some reason, dog owners are more likely to wake their pets up from a bad dream than people who own cats.
“Our normal family habits are expanding to the families we choose, our cats and dogs, as Millennials adopt pets as starter families and Baby Boomers welcome pets as extended family,” explains Alison Rutty, Rover’s director of cats and new business lines. “Pet parents not only want their pet to be their best friend but to be their pet’s best friend in return. So we have conversations with our cats, comfort our dogs after they have nightmares, and consider all our pets in big life decisions.”
To read more of Rover’s stats on dog and cat owners, check out the full report here.