Why Do You Prefer a Dog or Cat as a Pet?

"Animals are more than ever a test of our character, of mankind's capacity for empathy and for decent, honorable conduct and faithful stewardship. We are called to treat them with kindness, not because they have rights or power or some claim to equality, but in a sense, because they don't; because they all stand unequal and powerless before us." ― Matthew Scully

There are four types of people if we look at the affection for non-speaking friends: those who love cats, those who love dogs, those who love both cats and dogs, and those who dislike these pets. Some say cats are smarter, others bet on dogs.

When it comes to their masters, scientists have made some surprising discoveries.

Why do you prefer to have a dog as a pet, not a cat? Or vice versa? I suspect that those who are attached to dogs will bring as their main argument the faith and even the boundless love of these animals, and that cat owners have as their main asset the sweetness and beauty of cats.

Beyond these considerations, both non-speaking friends of man influence us to a great extent and in a different way both friendships and love relationships, and maybe even our social and political preferences!

In a recent Australian study, researchers Beatrice Alba of Macquarie University and Nick Haslam of the University of Melbourne are trying to make us understand that the way we choose our pets is actually based on the need to add some to our live. complementary or opposite features to us!

The findings of this study, entitled "Dogs and Cat People Differ in Dominance Characteristics," were published in the journal Anthrozoos.

According to scientists, starting from the premise that people choose their pets to bring something they lack in their lives, those who prefer dogs to those attached to cats are more likely to be dominant in relationships. social, interpersonal, to be more competitive and more narcissistic.

Researchers have come to believe that cats, which are usually independent and less controllable, are less favored by dogs than dogs, which are known to be very submissive to their owners.

The study, which took place online, included in a first stage 506 participants, and in the second stage, 528, most of them from the USA. The subjects of the study were evaluated according to their answers to questions that indicated their level of belief in social domination (belief in the social hierarchy), interpersonal dominance (a belief that they are "made" to lead and others to listen to them), competitiveness and narcissism.

The study's authors commented: "It's not for nothing that the old saying 'Dogs have owners and cats have company' and Winston Churchill's words, 'Dogs look up at us and cats look down on us.' People prefer dogs because they feel satisfied with pets that obey them without grunting. "

Although the scientists tried to mention that they did not consider all the owners or lovers of dogs, it can be assumed that most of them, unlike the partisans of cats, are distinguished by an increased tendency to dominate their companions of life, partners and subordinates socially and professionally, and that they love their own person in an incredible way!

Do you recognize yourself in the conclusions of this study? Do you think that your cat proves that you are somehow in the hands of others, or that a dog that is your companion implies that you are a tough boss, an uncompromising life partner, and a man who never gets tired of admiring himself?

"Animals are the bridge between us and the beauty of all that is natural. They show us what's missing in our lives, and how to love ourselves more completely and unconditionally. They connect us back to who we are, and to the purpose of why we're here." ― Trisha McCagh