Are Cat and Dog Owners Different?

by Craig Davis July 28, 2015 Cats Dogs

Have you always wondered if dog and cat owners had different personalities? Well, it turns out, they actually do—and science can prove it. (Now you can tell your family and friends that you’re not crazy!) Researchers and popular psychologist, Sam Goslin, at the University of Texas at Austin, studied 4,500 participants to test the theory that cat and dog owners do in fact have different personality traits. Out of that number, roughly 60% of the participants identified themselves as dog people while only 11% identified as cat people. Each individual was given a questionnaire that measured personality traits like their tendencies toward introversion or extroversion, and characteristics of agreeableness, neuroticism, and conscientiousness. Results were then compared in an attempt to recognize trends. It turns out that similarities between owners actually formed so the researchers were able to make some interesting conclusions. Here’s what the study found:

Dog People Tend to Be:

Outgoing
Energetic
Lively
More extraverted
Rule followers
Looking for companionship

On the other hand, Cat Owners Tend to Be:

More introverted
More open-minded
More sensitive
Non-conformist
Looking for affection

Were you surprised by these findings? Probably not if you’re a dog or cat owner and identity with these traits yourself. But what about intelligence levels?

Which Owners are Smarter?

Can you take a guess at which group is smarter: dog people or cat people? If you answered cat people, then you’d be correct! As reported in a study conducted by Carroll University, cat people actually scored higher on intelligence tests when compared to their dog people counterparts. Armed with this information, it’s easy to understand these findings. Cats are independent by nature and don’t need to go on walks like dogs. Therefore, introverted cat parents can stay in the comforts of their home and cuddle up with their kitties and a big book. However, dogs require their parents to go outside on walks, which creates the possibility of meeting new people. Dog people may not be smarter, but their outgoing, energetic personalities means they’ll always be fun.

One Thing in Common

Although we can see that cat and dog pet parents differ in a few personality traits, they also share one important thing in common: a love for animals. Pet parents are loving, caring, compassionate, and giving people and those are shared traits among both cat and dog people. We hope that you’ve enjoyed learning about the different personality types between pet parents and encourage you to share these interesting findings with your friends, and weigh in with your opinions below. Don’t forget to share this article!

Craig Davis

Craig is a lifelong pet owner and dog advocate with a special interest in animal and human longevity. He founded Vet Organics to develop an affordable, all-natural, safe and effective ear infection remedy for his dog, Lucy, whose chronic ear problems could not be solved by the vet.