Dogs or cats – who do people prefer to take care of?

As of: 3:41 p.m| Reading time: 3 minutes

HDo you remember Grumpy Cat? The cat, who died in 2019, was a bona fide internet star thanks to his constantly angry facial expressions, and still lives on in numerous memes today.

Like a dog like its master?

“Living with Jack” column.

Well, in light of the latest research findings published in the journal “Frontiers in veterinary science“Grumpy Cat is probably less enthusiastic: In a survey of 2,117 pet owners from Great Britain, Denmark and Austria, an international research team found that Dachshund owners, wives, and their partners seemed to give more attention and care to their loyal companions than a cat owner.

Is this perhaps in the nature of things – cats and kittens are, after all, somewhat introverted – or are dog owners simply doing their best?

But tell me how you feel about this overall:

Dogs or cats? There is a crucial difference between the owners

The international team of veterinarians, philosophers and behavioral scientists from the University of Copenhagen, Texas A&M University, the University of Glasgow and the University of Vienna surveyed 844 dog owners, 872 cat owners and 401 pet owners who keep both animals at home. The questionnaire noted things like pet insurance, willingness to pay for vital treatments, and emotional attachment to an animal companion, which was determined using “Lexington Pet Facility“-The scale is rated.

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It turns out that people value dogs more than their cats. This difference was largest in Denmark, smallest in Austria, and only slightly among people in the UK. In general, dogs come out on top when it comes to emotional and financial investments from their owners. Except in Great Britain: here, all cat and dog lovers were equally willing to dig deep into their pockets for the lives of their pets.

what would you do?

But before all cat owners suspect a conspiracy: researchers stress that one cannot speak of a general phenomenon. “Although people in all countries care more about their dogs than their cats, the degree of difference varies greatly from country to country,” explains Peter Sandu, a veterinarian from the University of Copenhagen who participated in the study, in one of the studies. Blog entry To study.

Different things play a role when choosing a pet

This is exactly what likely influences how much money a woman or man spends on a man’s best friend. For example, dogs often require more attention and affection from their owners, while cats generally behave in a more distant and aloof manner.

The researchers suspect that some of the study’s findings also depend on cultural factors. For example, whether cats and dogs spend more time at home or live in a rural or urban area. When it comes to the relationship with cats or dogs, the fact that the country has become more urbanized and life has shifted from the countryside to the cities also plays a role.

Although the researchers are in German Stady From 2019, I actually found that dog owners generally seem to have a stronger emotional bond with their four-legged friends. However, the number of people surveyed was very small and was limited to only one cultural region. The current study now suggests that there are likely to be cultural differences. In the next step, the researchers want to study in more detail whether these differences can also be found outside Western and Central Europe.

Some cat owners may have taken this advice to heart – and now it seems they’re the ones who couldn’t care less:

meow!