I have always considered myself a dog person. I grew up with dogs and always had them around. They’re always happy to see you, you can take them places and they’re full of energy. What’s not to love? I was four years old when my family got our first dog, a black lab puppy who we named Lucky – I was absolutely thrilled! Ever since getting our first first family dog, I have considered myself a dog person… BUT this past year I have a new found appreciation and love for cats.

I decided to get a cat for one reason; that being I currently live in an apartment and the pet fee is $20 (each month) less to have a cat than a dog. I got Olive right before the start of the COVID shut downs on March 8th, 2020 from the Montgomery Animal Service Center. I first went with my mom and boyfriend to the shelter on March 7th, 2020 to just look around and found “Moo” (who is now called Olive!). I fell in love… I decided to put her on hold and went back early the following day to pick her up. I didn’t know I would be picking up a pal for quarantining. We were able to go into the shelter without masks, but if we would’ve waited another week – masks would’ve been required to enter. Crazy.

This is a bit of a photo album dump of my cat Olive 🙂 (She’s a great emotional support pet for writing papers, class assignments, etc.)

Correlation Between Personality & Pet: Dog vs. Cat Person

I’ve always thought being a dog or cat person says a lot about you as a person. Dog people are active, easygoing, friendly, enjoy companionship and enjoy being outdoors. Cat people on the other hand are home bodies, maybe a bit catty and are content with alone time. With these assumptions, to me being a dog person is more desirable. I don’t know how much truth there is behind these assumptions, but according to the internet a lot of people have similar beliefs…

• According to Mikel Delgado, a postdoctoral researcher and applied animal behaviorist at the UC Davis veterinary school, “found that respondents who said they preferred cats tended to be higher in openness and neuroticism, while self-identified dog people tended towards more extroversion and agreeableness” (Popular Science, Eschner, 2020). Dogs and cats have very different needs, attachments, training behaviors – that are more or less compatible with human needs and behaviors.
• In a slideshow post by WebMD, “Truth About Pets and Personality,” dog people are 15% more extroverted than cat people (outgoing, enthusiastic, positive and energetic). While cat people were 11% more open than dog people, according to a survey (Openness meaning curious, creative, and artistic.)

For fun: If you, are unsure whether you are a dog or cat person Buzzfeed has a quiz that tells you which one you are based on what you eat in a day —–> Buzzfeed Quiz: Dog or Cat Person?

Based off my quiz results I am officially a (proud) cat person!