# Are liberals cat people? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 18, 2006, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-liberals-cat-people/380932 "2006-11-18T09:31:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-liberals-cat-people/380932/1 "2006-11-18T09:31:53Z")
And are republicans dog people? I feel perhaps I should put this in GD as I feel it has serious poliical and philosphical ramifications. No, really, I’m wondering about an essentialy different mindset. Kind of interesting. bete"kitty lover" noir ---
**Author:** ![The\_Octagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@The\_Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Octagon)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-liberals-cat-people/380932/2 "2006-11-18T09:39:45Z")
Oof, hard to say. I have to mention that nearly every liberal in my age group (20something) in Austin had a cat (or two or three). On the other hand, those whom folks would refer to as hippies (I don’t know what they like to be called) had dogs. Everyone I met in my rural adventures (presumably conservatives) owned dogs. Sometimes it went different ways, but I never understood the cat appeal myself (also, I’m allergic). I think it’s interesting to look at, but no hard-and-fast rules apply. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-liberals-cat-people/380932/3 "2006-11-18T09:47:22Z")
Interesting question. It wouldn’t surprise me if there is a small correlation between owning cats and voting Democratic. Cats are easier for apartment dwellers to own than dogs are, and liberals seem to be concentrated in urban settings. Cats are perceived as being “feminine” pets and from what I’ve heard women as a group are inclined to vote Democratic, whereas men tend to vote Republican. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-liberals-cat-people/380932/4 "2006-11-18T12:37:25Z")
Liberal with cats here. This idea appeals to me because I imagine a stereotype in which conservatives favor both “big brother” intrusive government, and dogs that display obedient and even worshipful behavior towards their master, because both are part of the same system of having power over others. Though the term “conservative” is somewhat loaded here because it used to imply small and unobtrusive government. ---
**Author:** ![conurepete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e57/32.png) [@conurepete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/conurepete)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-liberals-cat-people/380932/5 "2006-11-18T13:43:48Z")
Liberal, with parrots. Parrots may LURVVE you, but will still argue, pretend they are deaf, or sulk. You can get them to do what you want, but you must be persuasive, gently showing them why they should do what you want. Fear and punishment don’t work, they will freak out and regard you as an enemy. I have a cat, they can be trained the same way as parrots. I bet Liberals like dogs just fine. You may be on to something, maybe people who prefer obedient pets would be inclined to conservative candidates. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-liberals-cat-people/380932/6 "2006-11-18T13:53:23Z")
Not really. I’d wager Democratic voters probably have a higher rate of cat ownership than they do of dog ownership, primarily because as has already been mentioned it’s really much easier to keep a cat in an urban setting. For various reasons conservatives in the United States tend to live in the suburbs and smaller towns (this was not always the case necessarily, nor is it necessarily an international trend when it comes to conservative/liberal demographics.) Cats are also cheaper, and liberals are poorer on average than conservatives. Personally I’m conservative and have owned cats and dogs (sometimes both at the same time!) I know many fellow conservatives who don’t like animals at all, and some who like cats but not dogs. Most people that I grew up with had had both cats and dogs in their childhood, regardless of their family’s political affiliations. I think the big divider is rural/urban not so much conservative/liberal when it comes to animal ownership. ---
**Author:** ![gredbioz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6a8cbe/32.png) [@gredbioz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gredbioz)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-liberals-cat-people/380932/7 "2006-11-18T14:20:59Z")
Well, obviously. Cats are clearly in favor of affirmative action and high taxes, while dogs are known for their propensity to tote firearms and subsidize big business. ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-liberals-cat-people/380932/8 "2006-11-18T15:03:04Z")
I have noticed a high percentage of network geeks with cats and not dogs, but the network geeks’ politics varied. Molly Ivins is a dog person; her essays about her dog named Shit are great. I do believe she falls to the liberal side. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-liberals-cat-people/380932/9 "2006-11-18T15:12:48Z")
Liberal with three large dogs and who has lived with at least two large dogs at all times for 18 years. “Large” is defined as no less than 70 pounds, and preferably more like 90. I have not much interest in cats, and I don’t know whether I would prefer a cat to nothing it all e.g. in an apartment. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-liberals-cat-people/380932/10 "2006-11-18T15:14:51Z")
Conservative here. I have owned cats my entire life, and never owned a dog. I like dogs, but not interested in having one for a pet. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-liberals-cat-people/380932/11 "2006-11-18T15:15:13Z")
I like both, with a slight bias towards cats (despite my username). I’m a conservative. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-liberals-cat-people/380932/12 "2006-11-18T15:27:04Z")
[QUOTE=gredbioz] Well, obviously. Cats are clearly in favor of affirmative action and high taxes, while dogs are known for their propensity to tote firearms and subsidize big business. [/QUOTE] Exactly! When the news is on my cat will come out and loudly proclaim for the Democratic tax programe. Either that or more kitty treats in her bowl. Sometimes it’s hard to tell. OK I know it’s a gross overgeneralzation but it may in some way be a fertile one. I go with Napier. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-liberals-cat-people/380932/13 "2006-11-18T15:33:13Z")
But consider the actual cat’s personalities! They’re pubbies through and through. It’s yer ackshual dogs that are going to be voting to the left, what with all their populist arse sniffing and other communal activities. Cats are much more port and cigars. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-liberals-cat-people/380932/14 "2006-11-18T16:07:25Z")
I’m a liberal voter (small and large L, and occasional Green Party voter) and a dog person. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-liberals-cat-people/380932/15 "2006-11-18T16:51:38Z")
I’m a liberal and I don’t like cats at all. (I own three dogs.) ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-liberals-cat-people/380932/16 "2006-11-18T17:44:23Z")
I am liberal and so is my husband. We have two cats. My husband likes dogs but he was reared in a household with two Conservative parents who owned several. I was raised by liberals in an apartment. We have thought about getting a dog but I find they’re either the big friendly sort who need the kind of maintance I don’t have time for or the small yappy ones who aren’t overly friendly. My dad’s a retired mailman who was bitten many times so that has also influenced my attitude towards dogs. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-liberals-cat-people/380932/17 "2006-11-18T18:37:46Z")
I’m a liberal and a dog person. Despite this, I have a cat. He is a devil creature. I saw him on the street one day and he hypnotized me into taking him home with me and giving him food and snuggles. Rotten little beast. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-liberals-cat-people/380932/18 "2006-11-18T19:03:58Z")
Cats are the ultimate welfare queens. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-liberals-cat-people/380932/19 "2006-11-18T20:13:46Z")
Liberal here. Cats are nice, and I’ve owned several, but I’ll always be a dog person at heart. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-liberals-cat-people/380932/20 "2006-11-18T20:17:52Z")
Dogs are farm/hunting animals. 'Nuff said. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-liberals-cat-people/380932.md?page=2)