Last modified on March 12th, 2020 at 12:25 am

Dog people vs Cat People: Are They Really Different?

Are you an extrovert, introvert, an ENFP, an ISFP? Don’t know? No problem! All anyone needs to know is whether you’re a dog person or a cat person—your pet choice says a lot about your personality. Don’t believe us? Let’s give research a chance to do the talking. 

Over the years, the pet industry and other interested parties spent time collecting useful data in an attempt to find answers to the longwinded cat people vs. dog people debate. And the results revealed a panoply of facts showcasing the differences between dog people vs. cat people! 

What did the results show? Let’s get into it. 

Cat people vs. dog people: the difference between their homes

Nuwber research reveals where dog people and cat people live in America. The data collected by Nuwber highlights that more cat owners live in cooler areas, while dog owners tend to inhabit warmer places, which definitely makes sense! 

Dogs need to live in a place that grants them the freedom to run around, be outside, and bask in a warmer climate, whereas cats, primarily indoor pets, can happily roam the indoors. 

On the other hand, more cat owners live in apartments! It would definitely be tough to keep a tail-wagging labrador cooped inside a tiny apartment all day, that’s for sure. 

And the data continues!

Have you heard the ongoing joke about how single women are bound to become cat ladies? Well, it’s true. Data shows that “The most likely individuals to own cats are single women.” However, it’s also common for people living on their own in general to own a cat, whereas dog owners tend to have a family (and consider the dog as another sibling, or daughter or son). 

It’s also important to note that both dog people and cat people love to read! At least they have something to agree on. 

Dog people vs. cat people: the difference between their jobs and hobbies

You may think: there’s no way that dog people tend to migrate to certain jobs and cat people to another set of jobs. Well, surveys show that cat people, for the most part, work jobs that encompass longer days. For example, more cat people work in the medical field! 

And more dog people work a white-collar job! Nuwber’s report discovered that dog owners, on average, make a whopping $47,000 more than cat owners. However, this statistic makes sense when you consider how much more money you have to put into dogs over cats—they may be cute, but pups are definitely high maintenance. 

Wait, there’s more!

Research shows that dog people and cat people enjoy different hobbies, too. Dog people tend to enjoy spending time outside more than cat people. Meanwhile, cat owners prefer indoor activities, like cooking! And these survey results are understandable: dogs need to spend time outside, while cats can chill inside until the end of time. 

The dog owner personality vs. cat owner personality: what’s the difference?

The dog owner personality greatly differs from that of the cat owner’s! Here’s how:

Typical dog owner personalities mirror dogs—people-people, rule followers (okay, some dogs have their guilty moments, but 99% of the time they want to please their owners by following the rules), and compliant. 

Whereas cat owner personalities emulate cats—introverts, smart, more anxious than dog people (but caring for a pet can help to reduce anxiety), and don’t care too much for following rules. We’re sure most cat people can agree with this tweet written by @paperbeatstweet:

“dog people hate cats and cat people hate people.”

It is worth noting that besides circumstantial situations, pet food also has a significant influence on your cat or dog’s behavior. This, in turn, may determine how your pet behaves- and may be reflected in the general behavior of the owner. You can read the blue wilderness cat food guide to understand various cat food and their importance for your pet. Check expert opinion in thepetnow blog.

The bottom line of the dog people vs. cat people debate

Are they really different? Some may debate that whether you’re a dog person or a cat person depends on your location and your job. We’re sure most people don’t say: “I don’t want to be a doctor because I want to own a dog. But on the other hand, some people may say: “I want to move to a bigger home in the countryside, so our family can get a big dog!” 

Yet, it’s doubtful that cat people say: “I’m going to live in an apartment for the rest of my life! It’s my cat’s home. She loves it!” And we really doubt they mutter: “I’m going to stay single forever because I want to own cats!”

Therefore, the debate between dog people and cat people may be due to circumstances, at least when it comes to occupations, living situations, and finances. 

However, the different personality traits between dog people and cat people highlight some interesting facts to think about. 

The typical dog owner personality differs from that of the cat owner’s in that dog owners tend to be more extroverted than cat owners, while cat people tend to bend the rules more than dog people. 

The results

Circumstantial situations may influence some factors in this debate, but personality traits highlight that dog people and cat people do differ from one another. What do you think?