Dog and Cat People Reveal Why They Love Their Animals
For many of us, family life is a multispecies affairand although we dont get to choose our relatives, we do get to pick our pets. What makes us identify with and select one type of animal over another? We explored this and several other aspects of pet ownership in Scientific American MIND s recent online survey. We were gratified that more than 2,000 readers took the time to respond.
If one thing is clear from the results, its that the answer is complex . This is reflected in the incredibly heterogeneous responses we received from readers who, as it turned out, keep a remarkable array of pets. Nevertheless, a few patterns did emergeparticularly in answer to this question: Explain why you prefer cats, dogs, neither or both. The answers yielded such distinct camps that we decided to visualize them as word clouds (in which the size of each word reflects how frequently it was used).
Cat people tended to focus on practical reasons for loving felines, namely the lower maintenance demands. More than any other descriptive, the word independent dominated, perhaps because it both describes the feline personality and the ease of cat care. It came up a whopping 139 times in the explanations that the 520 self-described cat people gave for their preferences.
Word cloud generated from the responses by 520 self-described cat people. Click to enlarge.
Dog people, on the other hand, emphasized classic canine personality traits. Words such as loyal, loving, affectionate and companions came up repeatedly. Some more practical considerations came up as well, particularly allergies to cats that all but disqualified felines as pets. But it was clear that, above all, dog people valued the close interactions they have with their petsa sharp contrast from cat peoples emphasis on independence.
Word cloud generated from the responses by 817 self-described dog people.Click to enlarge.
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Although the majority of pet owners in our poll kept either a cat or a dog, more participants identified themselves as both cat and dog people than either or neither type. In their explanations these cat- and dog-loving people tended to emphasize that each species appeals to different parts of their personalities and that they are fond of many other kinds of animals as well.
Word cloud generated from responses by 909 participants who described themselves as both cat and dog people.Click to enlarge.
Personality data from poll participants also revealed a few patterns. We asked readers to rate, on a scale of 1 to 5, how strongly they identified with certain descriptors, such as assertiveness and empathy. As in previous studies and polls, we found that cat people tend to rate themselves as more reserved and quiet than dog people do. Findings like these support the notion that certain personality traits may predispose a person to choosing one pet over another. But our survey also found that on many measures these two archetypal pet owners were not so different. Their self-ratings of openness to new experiences and dependability, for example, were very similar.
Although cats and dogs were by far the most popular pets, participants in our survey also reported keeping shrews, squirrels, potbellied pigs and fennec foxes (among other unusual animals). After dogs and cats, the most popular pets in our survey were fish, birds, rabbits, horses and turtles, in that order.
Another piece of the pet preference puzzle is that, of course, many people keep more than one type of pet. We found a few pet-pairing trends. For example, more than 80 percent of horse owners also own a dog and, more surprisingly, 25 percent of snake owners also own a bird.
An important caveat: our survey was informal, not scientific. In fact, rigorous research on the subject remains scarce. Even so, our findings contribute to a growing appreciation of the powerful bond between pets and people, and how much about it remains to be explored.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/dog-and-cat-people-reveal-why-they-love-their-animals/
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Cat owners, dog owners and those that have some of each according to this survey list their characteristic traits and how those pet owners describe themselves
R W
It makes you a wonderful person with a lot of love to share it seems.
Thanks for the perspective
R W
As Sgt Friday used to say on Dragnet "Just the facts, ma'am"
Had a cat and when the cat got really old, got a dog. Both lived 17 years. Loved them both. Each one had a great personality.
Buzz
We had our cat nearly 16 years and she was a member of the family, in fact in her mind she was the matriarch that allowed the rest of us to share the house.
When she passed it left a hole in the family that persists to this dy.
R W
All I can say is that you speak the truth and are very knowledgeable of cats!
I have had just a few cats, and a few dogs. Cats are wonderful, they are a lot more independent than dogs.....and some of them are real "cuddle 'bugs, where-as dogs aren't quite as independent. But. they love you unconditionally and are such fun to watch play!!!
Nona
My oldest son has three Labs - one the oldest weights about 65 or 70 pounds and thinks that he is a Chihuahua and enjoys climbing onto your lap in a chair or on the couch.
He follows my son around like a shadow night and day.
That is love in my book
That's funny!! I have 2 Shih Tzus, and they chase each other, and the female take whatever toy the male has and then the chase is on!!! (all through outthe house !)
My sister in law has a Yorkie that is convinced that he is a Pit Bull I guess the way he barks at people, but once he figures out you are not afraid of him all he want to do is snuggle and sleep.
That's funny!!
I grew up with bird dogs. Labs, Brittany Spaniels, etc and had Britt's pretty much whenever I was living in a place that allowed dogs. Fantastic family dogs! Great with kids!
When my current wife and I bought our first house we almost had a battle over what kind of dog we were going to get. The compromise was she picked the breed and I picked the name, which is how we ended up with a Yorkie named Bubba.
After our Yorkie phase we went to Shar-Pei's which can be a touchy breed if you have a family (which we did not though we still had Bubba and the 1st Sharp (Humphrey) thought Bubba was a GOD!). A Sharp-Pei will defend the whole family, but will attach itself to one family member in particular (me). Also you have to be very careful if your children have friends over because the Shar-Pei may mistake rough housing in the kids as an attack and when they are in attack mode they will scare the hell out of you and I honestly believe could kill an average sized adult. They can be very dangerous to non-family members if not handled properly. Great guard dogs though. Whenever we went somewhere, even for hours, we left the sliding back door open so he and the other Sharp (Hortense...I know...I lost that argument
) could come and go as they pleased. No stranger in their right mind is going to go into a yard or house with 2 Shar-Pei's guarding it. Unless they shot them first.
Now we have Shih-Tzu's (3 of them, Harry, Sally and Molly)) and I guess I have always been a dog person because whenever I walk around the house or out the yard, one or more dogs are right next to me and sleep in the same room (or in this case, same bed) as I do at night. Whenever I spend more the 10 or 15 minutes in a room, all three of them will show up and lie down. In fact Harry just walked into my little home office and is stretching out on the floor right now. Too me that's reason enough to be owned by dogs.
Here comes Molly and Sally now.
Fish are not pets, they are living decor items.
I have 3 dogs and 1 cat. Have had cats and dogs since I was a kid.
Wheel
I am sure a lot of folks might disagree with you, but I am not one of them - in my view if you spend a lot of money taking care of and feeding a "pet" you should be able to play with it or take it for a walk or both.
M M
You sound like a devoted "dog guy" and your house sounds like a good plce for dogs to share a residence with humans
A eclectic collection of names and breeds throughout your lifetime
Thanks for the feedback