It’s raining cats and dogs
We’ve all heard the saying: “I’m a dog person” or “I’m a cat person”, but what does that really mean? (Apart from the fact that a dog person is better than a cat person, of course.)
Jokes aside, assumptions and stereotypes can finally be put away, as research shows that there actually exists a difference in personality traits of pet owners! The classic Big Five model describes people along a spectrum of 5 distinct personality traits; openness (closed), conscientiousness (carefree), extroversion (introversion), agreeableness (antagonism), and neuroticism (emotionally stable).
A dog person is high on extroversion, conscientiousness, and agreeableness. A cat person is high on neuroticism and openness (perhaps this explains the curiosity killed the cat myth!). About 6% more US households own dogs than cats, with some 30–40% of all households owning a cat or dog. (Some more fun stats: dog people are 18% more likely to consider Paul McCartney as their favorite Beatle, and cat people are 25% more likely to consider George Harrison as their favorite.) It is also worth noting that we may be selecting our pets based on our own personality.
Owning a dog stresses sociability as it forces one outside of their comfort zone. Dogs need to be walked and doing so is sure to attract all sorts of attention from admirers, young and old. This enforces social interaction, not to mention the higher level of activeness required to maintain a healthy pup. Cats on the other hand, are a lot more solitary in comparison to their wild canine cousins whom typically hunt in groups. There will exist some overlap in personality traits between pet and owner, as the pet we identify with may reflect our view on the world. Some research data even suggests that more cat people than dog people are atheists. 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.
Do you believe that there is such a thing as a cat or dog person? Which one makes us a “better” person? Winston Churchill once said: “Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us.”
