Are you a dog or cat person?  That is the question being asked by associate professor of psychology at Caroll University, Denise Guastello.  In her new study she finds that this opinion is a matter of the persons personality.  With each pet, there are associated personality traits.  Dog lovers were considered “more lively — meaning they were more energetic and outgoing — and also tended to follow rules closely.”  Where as cat lovers “were more introverted, more open-minded and more sensitive than dog lovers.”  She found people seem to make this decision “based on their own personality.”

Another factor said to be involved in the label cat vs dog person is the environment in which the person lives.  Based on this it entails the environment where you would most likely find a cat or dog.  Dog lovers tend to be out more with their dogs where as a cat person would rather hang at home.  The environment definitely is a major contributor to this “cat vs. dog” label.  If you think about it, there are various different living situations that may be appropriate for one pet and not the other.  The size of the family and the ages of those in the family may have a lot to do when deciding which pet is most suitable for the home.  Some homes who have small children may not be willing to take on the extra work that having a dog includes.  Another example may be an older couple who can’t handle the duties a dog entails.

In this study 600 college students were surveyed.  More than half, sixty percent, said they would prefer dogs and only eleven percent preferring cats.  Leaving the rest indifferent toward both.  Those who had voted dog were also found to have said they enjoyed the championship brought by a dog and those who voted cat tended to enjoy the affection they brought.  Despite these numbers, in 2007 the American Veterinary Medical Association found that there were roughly 81,721,000 cats in U.S. homes and only 72,114,000 dogs.  In addition to this, most households whom have a cat tend to have at least two.

Personally I would consider myself a dog person, but I find qualities in both animals that I can relate to myself.  This makes sense because it was actually the opposite growing up. I definitely was more of a cat person at that point in time.  Although I am energetic and outgoing, I don’t always tend to follow the rules.  This could relate to my initial attraction to the feline species.  Overtime my opinion changed.  I currently have a chocolate lab and he is my best friend. I love the type of bond you can make with dogs.  They truly are a mans best friend.

As you can see there is possibly many contributing factors that led you to label yourself as a cat or dog person.  These findings show there are tendencies in each animal’s personality that can attract you to that animal.  Weather it be the laid back personality of a cat or the energetic one of a dog.  So consider yourself, what are you?

Sources:

Rettner, By Rachael. “Dog People vs. Cat People: Who’s More Outgoing? More Intelligent?” LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 27 May 2014. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.

Pappas, Stephanie. “Here, Kitty, Kitty: 10 Facts for Cat Lovers.” LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 26 Apr. 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.