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Religion and politics are thought to be the underlying things that can make it or break it in this world when it comes to humans getting along with each other. But the differences don’t end there.

We have night owls and morning people, people who prefer yolk over egg whites, those who can curl their tongue and those who can’t. There are left-handed people and right-handed, and in the midst of the scale, you have cat people and dog people.

If you’re one, and every individual on this planet has a preference for dogs, cats, and rarely both, you’d know what that means. And if you've been living on the moon and still don’t know whether you’re a dog or a cat person, then this batch of tweets is just for you. So roll up your sleeves, ‘cause it’s about to get heavy.

There’s been an ongoing debate on whether cat and dog people are really that different. And if we commonly agree on the fact that they indeed appear to have somewhat different personality traits, the question on what exactly separates them remains open to discussion.

So in order to find out what a person who spends more time with felines than many of us in lockdown spend with other human beings has to say on the discussion, we reached out to Molly De Voss. Molly is a certified feline behaviorist with a vision to reduce the number of cats euthanized in shelters, plus her cat intuition reigns supreme.

Molly said that in her personal observations, dog people “tend to be more 'outdoorsy' than cat people,” but she added: “that said, I like to hike—with my cat, of course.”

Moreover, “more women tend to own cats than men—partly because cats are seen as feminine and dogs more masculine; and partly because cats gravitate to women more because their voices are in a megahertz range similar to their meows.”

The feline behaviorist also noticed stronger feelings about cats since “more people (usually men) really dislike cats than they do dogs.”

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“I think that may limit a single woman’s opportunities in the dating pool—especially if she has multiple cats. However, I have several male cat-owning clients who are neither gay, nor neurotic so obviously there’s no 100% stereotype that fits all,” Molly concluded.

To find out what the science has to say about this highly debatable topic, Bored Panda also reached out to Beatrice Alba, a lecturer in psychology at Deakin University and the co-author of a 2015 study on how dog people and cat people differ on dominance-related traits.

Beatrice told us that the bigger differences seem to be between people who self-identify as a "cat person" vs a "dog person." “But, of course, you don't have to choose between the two—plenty of people identify as both or neither. Having said that, although we found statistically significant differences between cat people and dog people on some psychological measures, the size of the effects were not huge.”

Beatrice’s study found that “dog people scored significantly higher than cat people on competitiveness, and a characteristic called Social Dominance Orientation. This is essentially a preference for hierarchy and the belief that some groups of people should dominate other groups of people.”

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As a result, the creators of the study argued that “people prefer pets that complement their own personalities, so someone more inclined towards characteristics related to social dominance should prefer a more submissive pet, like dogs.”

Meanwhile, “Those who are not so attached to hierarchies and ranking highly within them may be more inclined to like cats, who we all know defer to no one,” Beatrice concluded.

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Another recent study conducted by the psychologist Samuel D. Gosling and his colleagues at the University of Texas in Austin, in which 4,565 individuals were asked whether they were dog people, cat people, neither, or both, shed some light on these questions.

Gosling summarized his results, saying, "There is a widely held cultural belief that the pet species—dog or cat—with which a person has the strongest affinity says something about the individual's personality, and this research suggests there are significant differences on major personality traits between dog people and cat people."

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Cat-vs.-Dog-People-Tweets

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Falcon
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There have been so many videos of cats defending their human, especially kids.

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Gosling’s research showed that dog people were generally 15% more extroverted, 13% more agreeable, and 11% more conscientious than cat people. The same research showed that cat people were 11% more open-minded than dog people.

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A study led by Denise Guastello, an associate professor of psychology at Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin, also showed somewhat similar results. People who said they were dog lovers in the study tended to be more lively—meaning they were more energetic and outgoing—and also tended to follow rules closely.

Cat lovers, on the other hand, were more introverted, more open-minded, and more sensitive than dog lovers. Cat people also tended to be non-conformists, preferring to be expedient rather than follow the rules.

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KitKatLord
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Or most simple, get both, cats and dogs complete each other

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Rukkia
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Very true. And in my house, they all love each other. The cats even clean my elderly dogs ears for him and give him back rubs. My one cat even learned to steal dog treats for him. We had to lock up the treats.

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Kim Irving
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Dogs protect us from the physical world, cats protect us from the spiritual world.

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Karen Klinck
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So explain the 65 pound pit bull who was treed on my housemate's bed, cowering against the wall, by a 6 week old kitten. (I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe.) The kitten climbed on the bed, sat in the middle, and washed his face while the dog whimpered...

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PrincessTheSiameseKat
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

people are like i have a dog cuz cats are high maintenance but like u only gotta manage their food and poo if they an indoor cat but dogs u gotta walk them even if you don't feel like walking, bathe them whenever they get dirty, pick up their poo, train them, potty train them... i don't hate dogs I like dogs I just don't want to own one 🤗

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Tami
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, dogs seem more likely to go psycho and be destructive if you leave them alone too much, whereas cats are like, "Oh, you were gone? I didn't notice, I was sleeping."

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Lisa Pockat Bork
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love both cats and dogs but only have cats because you don't have to take them outside to do their business.

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tw 72
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And with cats, you have to understand that they *allow* you to live in their house and serve them.

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Missus Magoo
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Dogs have owners, cats have staff. One of the best lines I've ever heard!

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Jojo Dancer
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Lol I have one of each. They get along splendidly. The cat is definitely the alpha of the two!

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Starfall
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes! I know where every ceiling ghost is thanks to my cats! Unfortunately, due to allergies we cannot have a dog but a lovely family member lives close by and her pup has become my surrogate doggo. She is always happy to see me & is an instant mood lifter!

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Laurie Ostergaard-Overbey
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

my cat drives me crazy staring and then leaping at the slanted wall over my attic bed....i finally started telling the ghost of my hated sister, Wilma, you might as well go away, you couldnt terrify me in real life, you aint gonna bother me now! the cat settles down every time i do this.

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Tabby_Sohee
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cats are very loyal and lovable too... I’m in bed with my car purring so loud I probably couldn’t hear the fire alarm go off

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Michelle Muirhead
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes! When cats stare into space and you wonder what the heck they are seeing, it is quite scary. They see in a different dimension to dogs.

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Pepper Pots
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Funny enough I feel so ssafe with my cats around, if they look into a corner and there is nothing around I freak

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MalP
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

or get a dog like ours that barks at empty stairways & halls. We figure she sees the ghost.

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Id row
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My cats are both of those descriptions. They're my best friends and most loyal companions.

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Batwench
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Or fairies, my cats stare at little winged invisible buggers that move my stuff so I can’t find it where I know I left it.

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Theron Carpenter
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

ok does anybody sell haunted houses cause I need a reason for me and my roommate to get a cat.

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Winx
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

SO TRUE. It always freaks me out when both cats suddenly perk up and then stare at an empty corner of the room.

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Bread King
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

my moms dog could also see creepy stuff, like one time when my moms family bought a house that was built above a grave yard, when my mom was home alone with her dog, he would growl and bark then wimper at this one specific corner, it was creepy

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Stanley Coren surveyed 6,149 people, aged 16 to 94. It included 3,362 dog owners and 1,223 cat owners, and the rest were people who had neither of them. “My results showed that people who owned only cats seemed to be somewhat different than dog owners, or people who owned both dogs and cats, in terms of their personalities. People who own both dogs and cats seem to be much like the people who own only dogs,” Stanley explained for Psychology Today.

His findings showed that cat owners “were one-third more likely to live alone than dog owners and twice as likely to live in an apartment or flat,” while dog owners were more likely “married, living in a house, and having children living in the home.”

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When it comes to personalities, Stanley found that “people who own only cats tend to be relatively introverted (low on extroversion) and also reasonably cool (low in warmth or agreeableness).”

The author of the study explained further: “The general pattern that comes out of both studies is that dog owners are more social and interactive and cat owners (who own cats exclusively) are more introverted and self-contained."

On the other hand, it wouldn’t be right to generalize these findings and claim that they represent the full picture. Keep in mind that the dog and cat owners that were surveyed for studies represent only a fraction of society, and that any claims should be taken with a grain of salt.

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#19

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troufaki13
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yet it is estimated that nearly 25k people are killed by dogs per year. No deaths are recorded by cats

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Dynein
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My personal verdict: Posh breeds are elitist, mutts and rescues aren't. Regardless of cat or dog. And regardless of cat or dog, I hope you researched the needs of your breed, didn't get a breed with known genetic issues, didn't just get your dream breed without considering all the responsibilities of pet ownership, and didn't get it from a dubious source for cheap.

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Kay blue
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I saw meme that says "dogs are great, but cats won't show the police where your drugs are".

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El Dee
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why is there this Dog Vs Cat thing? Even as a joke I don't really get it. I really really love both cats and dogs. Am I the only one..

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Max
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think the main reason cats are 'more likely' to eat your corpses is that dogs are noisier, and therefore will get investigated before they get desperate enough to eat a person.

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MistyCat
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ikr? My mom got bit by a huge dog when she was little, she never lived it over, and whenever she tells anybody she's scared of dogs, they're always like, "No, no, that's not possible, here, pet my Rottweiler, he jumps but he's very friendly" and often I have to distract the dog while Mom runs for cover.

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Raven Sheridan
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't like dogs either. They're too clingy! I need my space. Cats are great because they sporadically want love and attention, but they're also independent and have their own lives. Dogs wanna be with you 24/7. Same reason I don't have kids.

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