Dog People vs Cat People
Are there really personality differences?
By Stanley Coren | Illustration by Rachel Gordon
I was having coffee with a friend of mine who is a professor of psychology. As we chatted, he brought up the fact that he had broken off his relationship with a woman he had been seeing. “I’m a dog person and she’s a cat person, and they don’t mix well,” he explained. “We’re really like the animals that we love. Dogs have families and are grateful for what they get, while cats simply expect to be taken care of and show no evidence of thankfulness and loyalty.”
My friend’s comments seem to reflect a common perception, according to a study conducted at Ball State University. Pet owners were surveyed about their personalities and their pet ownership. In general, the results showed that people believe that their own personalities are similar to those of the pets they keep. Cat owners saw themselves as being more independent while dog owners described themselves as being friendly.
Virtually any discussion among pet owners is bound to reveal clearly that there are dog people and there are cat people. In some cases, the depth of feeling for their chosen species can be quite intense. However, according to an Associated Press/Petside.com poll, there are a lot more dog people out there; 74 percent of the test sample like dogs a lot, while only 41 percent like cats a lot.
It also seems that some people seem to be quite exclusive in their preferences, liking either dogs or cats and loathing the other species. Cats appear to be much easier to hate: 15 percent of the adults questioned said they disliked cats a lot while the number who said they disliked dogs a lot was only 2 percent.
There are sound reasons to suspect that the preference for dogs or cats reflects some underlying human personality differences. Certainly the relationship between cats and humans has always been quite different than the relationship between dogs and people. This reflects the behaviours that both species have kept from their heritage prior to domestication.
In the wild, cats are usually solitary hunters and often are active mostly at night. Juliet Clutton-Brock of the Natural History Museum in London calls the cat an “exploited captive” rather than a domesticated animal. Cats are the least tame of our household pets but are surprisingly successful for a species that retains so much of its wildness.
In contrast, wild canines are usually sociable pack animals that work in groups and are active between dawn and dusk. Our domestic dogs retain this need for social interaction to the degree that without a master and a family, a dog seems unhappy—almost lost.
Dogs will intrude on a person’s ongoing activities if they are feeling lonely and want some company or play. Cats, on the other hand, are often invisible during the day, seeming only to appear in the evening, especially if that is when they are fed. Cats will occasionally engage in social activities or play with people, but their interest is limited. Usually, after only a few minutes, cats will abandon the game and wander away. Dogs on the other hand, will often engage in play, like fetching a thrown ball, for hours at a time, and it is usually the human that quits the game first.
Recently, Sam Gosling, a psychologist at the University of Texas in Austin and his graduate student, Carson Sandy, conducted a web-based study in which 4,565 individuals were asked whether they were dog people, cat people, neither, or both. The same group was given a 44-item assessment that measured them on the so-called Big Five personality dimensions psychologists often use to study personalities.
Just on the basis of the nature of dogs being more sociable than cats, one might expect that the personalities of dog lovers would also reflect higher sociability. The results showed that dog people were generally about 15 percent more extroverted and 13 percent more agreeable, both of which dimensions are associated with social orientation. In addition, dog people were 11 percent more conscientious than cat people. “Conscientiousness” is a tendency to show self-discipline, to complete tasks, and aim for achievement. The trait shows a preference for planned rather than spontaneous behavior.
In comparison, cat people were generally about 12 percent more neurotic; however, they were also 11 percent more “open” than dog people. The openness trait involves a general appreciation for art, emotion, adventure, unusual ideas, imagination, curiosity, and variety of experience. People high on openness are more likely to hold unconventional beliefs while people with low scores on openness (dog people) tend to have more conventional, traditional interests.
Gosling’s recent study seems to confirm the findings of research that I did for my book Why We Love The Dogs We Do (Free Press; 1998). I used a different personality measure, namely the Interpersonal Adjective Scale, because I was mainly interested in items reflecting social interactions and social tendencies. It gives scores on four scales; extroversion, dominance, trust, and warmth (which is close to “agreeableness” on Gosling’s measure).
My study involved 6,149 people, aged 16 to 94. I attempted to get as many dog owners as I could, so this group included 3,362 dog owners, but also, 1,223 people who only owned cats and 1,564 people that owned neither a cat nor a dog.
My results showed that people who owned only cats seemed to be somewhat different than dog owners or people who owned both dogs and cats in terms of their personalities. People who own both dogs and cats seem to be much like people who own only dogs. You should keep this in mind, since from here on, at least for the purposes of this discussion, when I mention a cat owner I mean someone who lives only with a cat, while, when I mention dog owners, I mean a person who owns a dog or both a dog and a cat.
According to my data, cat owners were one third more likely to live alone than dog owners and twice as likely to live in an apartment or flat. Being married, living in a house, and having children living in the home, are all factors that are more likely for dog owners than cat owners. A single woman was the most likely individual to have a cat. Of the people who grew up in a house with cats as pets, 47 percent were likely to have cats today, while only 11 percent of people whose childhood years were spent in a house with a dog have only a cat as a pet.
Turning to the personality profile of the person who owns only cats, we find a reasonable overlap with Gosling’s recent findings. To begin with, we find that people who own only cats tend to be relatively introverted (low on extroversion) and also reasonably cool (low in warmth or agreeableness) which is the pattern confirmed by Gosling’s more recent data.
Looking at the other two measures, we find that cat owners are relatively low in dominance. People who are high on dominance are generally described as being forceful, assertive, persistent, selfassured, and self-confident. They are the people who stand out in social gatherings as opposed to people who are low in dominance that come across as being more timid, bashful, shy, and unaggressive. The final dimension that I looked at was trust, and cat owners appear to be fairly trusting. People high on this dimension are often described as obliging, modest, straightforward, and “good sports.” People low on this dimension can be more suspicious and manipulative.
The general pattern that comes out of both studies is that dog owners are more social, interactive and accepting. One dog person’s explanation of this was: “You have to have a good sense of humor to successfully own dogs.” Contrast this to cat owners (remember this is people who prefer cats exclusively) who are more introverted, self-contained, and interact less socially. A psychologist who is also a dog owner suggested, “Maybe the reason that cat people tend to be more introverted and seem to prefer to be indoors is because they can’t walk their cat.”
Perhaps one of the most telling differences between dog and cat owners is illustrated in a single comparison. I asked people who own only cats, “If you had adequate living space and there were no objections from other people in your life, and someone gave you a puppy as a gift, would you keep it?” More than two thirds of the cat owners (68 percent) said that they would not accept a dog as a pet, while almost the same number of dog owners (70 percent), said that they would admit the cat into their household when asked the same question but about a kitten. This suggests that most people who own only a dog are potentially dog and cat owners, while most people who own only a cat are exclusively cat owners.
My friend sipped on his cup of coffee and continued to muse about the differences between dog people and cat people, and perhaps about his recently ended relationship.
“You know there is some research data that suggests that more cat people than dog people are atheists. You couldn’t tell this based on my experience, which is that cat people seem to worship their felines like the ancient Egyptians worshiped their pharaohs—as gods. We dog lovers just talk to our hounds like people.”
Click here to check out some celebrity cat lovers, or here to check out celebrity dog lovers.
I used to consider myself a dog person, but now that I'm living with two adopted cats, I realize that much of my dismissal of kitties was based on misconceptions. My cat loves to cuddle. She sleeps in my bed, plays fetch (we toss a toy and she retrieves it) and is always under foot, rubbing against legs and hopping into laps.
I bet the reason that cat guardians are more likely to be apartment people is because dogs are not allowed in many apartments. Cats are more suited to apartments since you don't have to take them down 15 stories to "do their business."
Interesting though.
"In the wild, cats are usually solitary hunters and often are active mostly at night. Juliet Clutton-Brock of the Natural History Museum in London calls the cat an “exploited captive” rather than a domesticated animal. Cats are the least tame of our household pets but are surprisingly successful for a species that retains so much of its wildness. " Cats have been around humans for 3x as long as dogs. you need to stop posting biased shit.
I couldn't disagree more..I recently conducted myself a survey (a small scale survey) which proved if anything the opposite although the small number of similar background participants could not make the results in any way conclusive but still very few of the people that they took place were lonely, were living on their own or were considered as introverts and anti-social. Also through experience working with cats as behavioural adviser I don't find cats as species that they tend to hide all day and being active at night...this is usual a matter of training...my 3 cats sleep at night and they are pretty much more active during the day...they are loyal, show affection and they have being well trained...most pets will react and behave the way they have learned from their environment despite their own species tendencies..I know of cats (one was my own) who are even afraid of small mammals such as mice or hamsters let alone try to hunt them...years of domestication and close encounters with humans have changed a lot of their wild side side and behaviour...
"According to my data, cat owners were one third more likely to live alone than dog owners and twice as likely to live in an apartment or flat. Being married, living in a house, and having children living in the home, are all factors that are more likely for dog owners than cat owners."
You're mixing cause and effect, a person who has a cat is not more likely to live alone, A person who lives alone is more likely to have a cat! (not because of personality, but because cats need less care and having people always present). Also, if you live in an apartment, having a cat is far far easier than having a dog, not needing such a big space and not having to take him for a walk each day.
This is so biased against cats and cat-owners it isn't funny. What sweeping generalizations you make! And, as an earlier commenter mentioned, your "research" is correlational so you can't assume any kind of cause-and-effect relationship between pets and their people. My five cats are highly sociable; several of them will follow me around the house during the day, moving from room to room as I do, and settling down to nap or play wherever I happen to be. All of our cats share beds with us and are very insistent when they want attention, be it pets, play, or just a snuggle.
Be careful - your bias is showing.
My cats are trained to do what I want them to do. And yes, this is biased against cats. Put it this way, a dog is REQUIRED TO BE ON LEASH, and a cat is not required to be on a leash and neither are people so that should tell you something. Also, a dog is too 'dumb' to get high on herbs. A human takes marijuana and gets high on it and a cat understands this concept and takes catnip and gets high on it and even has their cat friends come to the party. Dogs just stand there and do what you want them to do and if you are the type of person who ONLY wants other people and animals to do what you want them to do then a dog is your pet of choice. If you want a 'companion' who is smart and will 'catch a buzz' with you, then a cat is your pet. Cats love to have fun and play when they 'do catnip' because they are smart enough to get high and have fun just like people do at bars and where ever. A dog is just a dog and they are excessively needy, unpredictable, and 'high maintainence' compared to cats.
My cats will come running in the house to tell me that someone is walking up the walk way so I know before they even get to my porch. And no, I don't need them to bark, just so long as they let me know I am fine. I don't like all that random non stop barking anyways. After awhile nobody pays attention to a barking dog and everything the dog barks at is eventually viewed as meaningless so what is the point of barking?
Dog owners are usually AUTHORITARIANS and cat owners are usually LIBERTARIANS and don't need to be in charge like a dog owner does. Dog owners are usually big headed bullies who think they are great and their dog is great and they are just the best. If you call that being sociable, then maybe you should reconsider what being sociable means.
Enough fo the bias, this is not a 'comparison', it's slader against cats as usual. And no, I don't like dogs and I'm not afraid to say it. It's not against the law to no like dogs so give it up.
This article is ridiculous. I'm a total uber dog lover AND a total uber cat lover. I love them the same. I can't wait to get a dog as I'm living in a Condo for the time being. I have a cat. I have a cat because I love them & they are better suited for condos. When I move to a house I'll have both & i'll love them both the same.
@nouns is completely correct! Everyone I know who dislikes cats is ignorant of them. I've known many people who hated cats but when they were forced to live with one or be around one more often they became HUGE cat lovers. My cat is like a dog, she plays fetch, greets me at the door, rubs against me, cuddles on my lap, follows me around the house, meows & tries to communicate with me. Some dogs are grumpy, some cats are grumpy. People are not cat or dog people. It seems as though people like to refer to themselves closer to something they understand. If they don't understand cats from never owning one they shouldn't discriminant against them.
It's simple. If you are a cat owner, you "get" both cats and dogs, and you get dogs because they spend most of their time stumbling into you, introducing themselves immediately, smelling you crotch in elevators, unleashed and imposing their "friendliness" so you can't help but know them. Dog people on the other hand, are familiar with dogs only so its a safety net, and only know cats from afar in severe cat cliches (like the above article). "I hate cats" is the marker of someone who is simply never had one, because you need to HAVE one to know one.
Reason: No cat would ever put itself out there, run into your space and rub itself all over you and expect to get smiles back. They don't need this intrusion to feel loved, and I think this makes a dog person nervous. "Oh they're mean" "They're ungrateful" just stems from the person feeling rejected in some way, when they are just being ignorant to that cat's form of love. Maybe dog people are needy for validation?
Unless you own a cat, take the time to become best friends, play (and yes my cat begs for play too and I am always the one to end the game-he could go forever!) you see the depth in cats...you see the "coolness" is their very respectful way of displaying love, you see they appreciate with cuddles and purrs and standing in front of the computer to look into your eyes until you give them bear hugs...both dogs and cats have love to give but show it in different ways after different LENGTHS of time. Since a cat only shows its true love after building a trusting relationship, and dogs wear their little hearts on their sleeves, how could a dog person really even say they understand cats? Cat people are privy to both worlds since dogs just put it out there, but dog people need to own a cat to truly see!
Hey Truth,
Dogs have lived by humans longer than cats, dogs were domesticated 12`000
years ago and cats only 3`000 years ago so your wrong and your right Julio:)
I am an extremely outgoing, sociable, and warm. I have traditional values, am not an atheist and enjoy being around people. According to this article I am most likely a dog person, but that could not be further from the truth. I don't hate dogs, I just don't like them very much. They are needy, annoying, smell, eat their own poop occasionally, and aren't even cuddly!! I like cats because they all have very individual and distinct personalities and require more than a glance to know them. Dogs just fly up and smell your crotch and everyone loves them. Cats are more subdued and, like a person, take more than a couple of minutes to get to know and understand them. People who say they don't like cats have obviously never spent much time with a cat and just don't care to take the time to get to know them. It's like someone getting on a horse and assuming all horses have the same personalities; horses and cats are like humans. Each one is an individual and it takes time to know them and understand them. If you don't take time to understand the horse you're riding, you're not going to have a good time. If you don't get to know the cat you're judging you aren't going to like it. Cats are just more like humans.
And this article is totally written by a dog person. Bad job.
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