# Is there a psychological difference between a Cat person and a Dog person? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 3, 2006, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-psychological-difference-between-a-cat-person-and-a-dog-person/351069 "2006-04-03T14:33:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2006, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-psychological-difference-between-a-cat-person-and-a-dog-person/351069/21 "2006-04-03T23:52:57Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > The administrative assistant or irritating relative that’s always emailing you forwarded glurge and urban legends they claim to be true? Cat person, most definitely. Not saying that all cat people are like that, but the glurge n’ kountry folks I know are almost all cat fanatics. I’ve always thought it would be the other way around. Pack mentality, thoughts of “If they’re telling me this, it must be true,” and messages like “If you don’t forward this e-mail to everyone you know, you hate America!” strike me as affirmation-seeking dog behaviors all the way. Cats, if they had thumbs, would almost certainly use [Snopes.com](http://Snopes.com). ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-psychological-difference-between-a-cat-person-and-a-dog-person/351069/22 "2006-04-04T00:45:38Z")
I hate cats in that they always seem as if they’re plotting against you, just waiting for the time to strike. Whereas a dog will defend it’s owner to the death. I also find cat owners (not all) sad and creepy. There’s a big difference in being a dogs ‘daddy’ than when a cat owner proudly proclaims ‘my cat has trained me so well.’ I’m a dog person by the way. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-psychological-difference-between-a-cat-person-and-a-dog-person/351069/23 "2006-04-04T00:46:38Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > So…I don’t know. I know quiet reserved people who have multiple dogs and no cats, and I know boisterous, sociable people who have cats. There are other factors at work, of course. If you live in an apartment and want a pet, chances are the only one you can get (apart from aquarium pets) is a cat. Likewise, younger, on-the-go people find it convenient to have a pet that doesn’t need walking and won’t chew up half your wardrobe if you go away for the weekend. ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-psychological-difference-between-a-cat-person-and-a-dog-person/351069/24 "2006-04-04T00:47:21Z")
People witrh ego problems should stay away from cats. If you have a need to be reassured of your greatness and desirability, be advised that cats will not cater to your needs unless the cats have needs of their own and see you as an easy mark. I live with a beautiful and thoroughly self-centered cat who tolerates me and my inept efforts to serve him. If he shows a sudden affection, rubbing against my shins and meowing plaintively, I have two possible choices of interpretation: A: “By gosh, the cat does love me! Look how affectionate he is!” B: “Cat’s food bowl must be empty. Look at the little bugger suck up to me!” Naturally I choose B and generally the food bowl is if not empty then close to it. I fill the bowl and step back. Does the cat then stick his face in the bowl and start inhaling kibble? Not necessarily. He just wants to show how I am failing him. “Mmm-hm, he finally filled the bowl, and damn well about time, too. Good help is impossible to get these days. Hey, what’s this? You want to pick me up? Put me back down and leave me alone! You think we are good friends now, just because you did your job and filled my food bowl? Know your place!” A cat person will not be bothered by such interactions, and will actually take a sort of ruefull enjoyment from being a part of the cat’s dynamic. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-psychological-difference-between-a-cat-person-and-a-dog-person/351069/25 "2006-04-04T00:54:17Z")
Because cats are so often independent and aloof, I’ve always felt that when a cat is sweet, friendly, and affectionate, I should consider it not only flattery, but an honor. Damn, I love cats so much, and I’d love to have another one, but I can’t as long as I live here. Just seeing a cat do stuff makes me smile uncontrollably – it would be great to come home to one or two and be pals with them. I’ve never owned a dog, so I’ve never felt that great fondness and bond with them. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-psychological-difference-between-a-cat-person-and-a-dog-person/351069/26 "2006-04-04T01:22:22Z")
> [@Nonsuch](#): > > Cats, while they can form loose groups if enough animals are sharing the same territory, are loners; they don’t form hierarchies and don’t have the same dominant/submissive paradigm as dogs. Hence your house cat will recognize you as its caregiver and will bond with you, but it doesn’t have the kind of social instincts that a dog does, and it won’t show submissiveness toward you. I think cats do form hierarchies and have a definite social structure. It’s not as clearly defined as dogs’, but it’s there. I also don’t think my cats are aloof at all. They sit on or next to me all the time, sleep on my bed, love affection, come when called by name. They socialize with visitors who come to the house, and they like being touched and picked up. Maybe they’d eat my corpse if I died, but I’d want them to rather than starve to death. As for my dog, well, she’s pretty cat-like and aloof. She will never seek out the affection of visitors, hates most men, and needs intermittent intense attention periodically but not all the time. She goes out in the yard without a leash whenever she asks to. I think all these stereotypes are pretty reductive. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Batman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/22d042/32.png) [@The\_Batman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Batman)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-psychological-difference-between-a-cat-person-and-a-dog-person/351069/27 "2006-04-04T01:54:27Z")
I’m definately a dog person (and yet, independent and a bit of a loner), I love’em. I like how a dog is loyal to you no matter what the circumstances or the treatment, not that I would ever betray my dog’s loyalty. I also like that most work for a living, as much as an animal can anyway. As for considering myself my dog’s “daddy”, that feeling depends on the type of dog that I have at that moment. I had a small female dog when I was a kid and pampered her and gave her cute little nicknames. But I currently have a medium-sized male labrador mix and I would say that I love him more like a brother or a close friend. To me cats seem to be only interested in themselves, and I already deal with enough assholes every day to have to come home to another one. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-psychological-difference-between-a-cat-person-and-a-dog-person/351069/28 "2006-04-04T02:14:54Z")
> [@New Girl](#): > > I think cat people are more picky and high-maintenance, and dog people are more openly affectionate and touchy-feely. For a person to love dogs they can’t mind being jumped on, nuzzled and licked. Sure they can. Dogs can be taught not to jump on you, _and_ not to lick as well, by not giving them positive reenforcement when they do either. I taught my dog not to lick before she was out of the puppy stage, and the adult dog we adopted got over the urge before we had him long too. In my experience they lick because they think _you think_ it’s a good thing to do: no positive reaction, no reason to continue doing it. I like dogs a bit more than cats, but I’m only lukewarm on either species except on a case-by-case basis. I’ve liked most of the ones I’ve owned, and some of those belonging to friends, though. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-psychological-difference-between-a-cat-person-and-a-dog-person/351069/29 "2006-04-04T02:22:18Z")
> [@Tijuana\_Golds](#): > > To me cats seem to be only interested in themselves, and I already deal with enough assholes every day to have to come home to another one. This is just silly. Cats are assholes? Are you really suggesting that all cat owners have purposely installed assholish creatures in their houses?:rolleyes: My cats are extremely affectionate, snuggly, interested in being around me, and loving. They are as far from assholes as could possibly be. They are wonderful. There are plenty of pets who are not pleasant to be around of the feline and canine varieties, just as there are great ones, same as with people. To make a sweeping generalization like this has no basis in fact or logic. It’s just inflammatory, really, considering how much people love their pets. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-psychological-difference-between-a-cat-person-and-a-dog-person/351069/30 "2006-04-04T03:12:10Z")
My cat is _very_ attentive. In fact, sometimes she gets to downright overbearing. My routine when I get home from work at night is as such: I come in the door and within 3 seconds, the cat runs from one of the bedrooms meowing to greet me. As I put down my keys, wallet, etc. she will follow me around meowing. Once I get my stuff taken care of, I then pick her up and she purrs and purrs. After giving her a little attention, I put her down and she still follows me around but doesn’t meow anymore. If I’m on the computer, she has to sit on my lap. If I’m on the couch, she wants to be near me. She’s not very aloof. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-psychological-difference-between-a-cat-person-and-a-dog-person/351069/31 "2006-04-04T04:13:43Z")
> [@Rubystreak](#): > > I also don’t think my cats are aloof at all. They sit on or next to me all the time, sleep on my bed, love affection, come when called by name. They socialize with visitors who come to the house, and they like being touched and picked up. Maybe they’d eat my corpse if I died… The sudden left turn here cracked me up. I grew up with both kinds of animals, and I’m marginally more a cat person than a dog person. They both have their appeal, but for me a cat is preferable because of the potential for true hilarity. See, a cat is generally careful and dignified, so when it does something clumsy or ridiculous, like falling off a bookshelf or tearing around the house with a plastic grocery bag caught on its collar, the temporary loss of poise is just comedy gold. By contrast, when a dog has a moment of awkwardness, it may be cute, but it’s rarely fall-down funny, because dogs are sort of naturally doofy anyway. There are exceptions; Rottweilers are rarely doofy, for example. But overall I think it’s a good generalization. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-psychological-difference-between-a-cat-person-and-a-dog-person/351069/32 "2006-04-04T04:16:32Z")
(By the way, that’s not meant to suggest I deliberately do cruel things to animals for a laugh. The fuzzy black land shark who lives in my house gets himself into plenty of trouble without any assistance from me.) ---
**Author:** ![Agnostic\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@Agnostic\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agnostic_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-psychological-difference-between-a-cat-person-and-a-dog-person/351069/33 "2006-04-04T04:28:38Z")
> [@New Girl](#): > > …and dog people are more openly affectionate and touchy-feely… Taking these out of order, so I can agree before I disagree. I do think the above is true more often than not. > [@New Girl](#): > > I think cat people are more picky and high-maintenance… I wholeheartedly disagree with the above though. I find dog people much more high-maintenance, which is why they do not mind having such a high-maintenance pet. Not that being high-maintenance is necessarily a bad thing, just different. I don’t care for it personally. > [@davenportavenger](#): > > **We cat people are just lazy.** Cats are self-cleaning, don’t need to be walked, and best of all, they shit in one convenient location. There are even cats which have been taught to use the toilet! Whereas dogs are akin to toddlers in their constant need for care and maintenance. > > Also, almost all of the English majors I’ve been acquainted with are cat people. Whereas dog people major in what, P.E.? Clearly, cats are superior. Exactly. Cat people also know that cats are not really pets. No one owns a cat. They merely choose to live with us. And we want to be on the right side when the revolution comes. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-psychological-difference-between-a-cat-person-and-a-dog-person/351069/34 "2006-04-04T06:00:39Z")
> [@Nonsuch](#): > > (Hell, they even attend to their own bathroom issues, just like a good roommate should.) I have to call catshit. 😉 I’ve lived with four different cats. And each one of them betrayed me, horribly, by taking a crap in my clean laundry. That is so not taking care of their own bathroom issues. Having said that, I’ll agree with most of the posters who’ve said that cats tend to be more independant than dogs, and so the people who choose cats want something a bit more standoffish than the generic dog. I don’t think that one can say anything else about the personality based on pet choice, though. Certainly I’m far from being gregarious, but I much prefer dogs to cats. For one thing, no dog I’ve lived with ever made a mess in my clean laundry. My favorite line about the difference between cats and dogs is: > [@](#): > > The difference between cats and dogs is that dogs are Christians: you can know what their basic body of beliefs may be just by seeing them; cats are Pagans, worshipping at strange altars to unknown gods for purposes best unquestioned. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-psychological-difference-between-a-cat-person-and-a-dog-person/351069/35 "2006-04-04T06:28:17Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > I go both ways. I’m bi-species as well. Right now I only have cats, but I love dogs, too. > [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > Cats, if they had thumbs, would almost certainly use [Snopes.com](http://Snopes.com). One of my cats has helped me post on the Dope in the past 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sleel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-psychological-difference-between-a-cat-person-and-a-dog-person/351069/36 "2006-04-04T07:50:53Z")
I get along well with most animals. I like dogs, but I prefer cats. Several people have brought up independence and that’s pretty much what I like about them. Their behavior is not really that different from their wild cousins. Dogs, on the other hand, act like retarded wolves. Literally. Their level of socialization is what wolf pups display. I’m not so sure we can draw any real conclusions about Dog People or Cat People from this though. Sometimes people are attracted to qualities they don’t have. Cats might be kept by people who want to be more independent or aloof. Dogs might be kept by people who want to become more affectionate. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-psychological-difference-between-a-cat-person-and-a-dog-person/351069/37 "2006-04-04T12:35:19Z")
I have a dog and my wife brought 2 cats to the marriage. Growing up we always had pets both cats and dogs. I think there are stereo-typical cat people and dog people out there. The stereo-typical cat person seems to usually be a woman and be waaaaaaaaaaay too into their cat. They have lots of cat themed stuff like mugs and picture frames and such (the dreaded cat lady). I worked with a woman like this and she kept talking about “Kirby.” It was Kirby this and Kirby that. I swear I thought Kirby was her boyfriend or husband. After about a week of this it slowly dawned on me Kirby was her cat (cue twilight zone music). The kind of dog person I really don’t like is usually a guy who is way too into the breed of his dog. This guy is actually brand conscious over a type of mammal. It gets to be some weird exentsion of his penis. It’s never “I have a dog,” it’s always “I have a Tibetan Mountain Shepard-Hound (patent pending).” It’s a dog, it chases balls, eats any food you drop on the floor and is glad to see you when you get home from a hard day, isn’t that enough? Pets are great. Pet owners can definetly be creepy. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-psychological-difference-between-a-cat-person-and-a-dog-person/351069/38 "2006-04-04T12:51:35Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > The kind of dog person I really don’t like is usually a guy who is way too into the breed of his dog. This guy is actually brand conscious over a type of mammal. It gets to be some weird exentsion of his penis. It’s never “I have a dog,” it’s always “I have a Tibetan Mountain Shepard-Hound (patent pending).” > > It’s a dog, it chases balls, eats any food you drop on the floor and is glad to see you when you get home from a hard day, isn’t that enough? > > Pets are great. Pet owners can definetly be creepy. :o (That _is_ the embarrassed smiley, right?) I am one of those people who are DEFINITELY into their breed. I have put a lot of research into the breeds I chose, and it is highly doubtful I would ever choose a different one. And yes, I collect breed related stuff- I have many figurines, mugs, T shirts, and paintings/prints of my chosen breeds. I am not saying that other breeds are not perfect for other people, but I have personally not had AS good of experiences with them. I have owned many breeds thru the years, and been around many, many more. Just never clicked with any of them in the same way I have with Gordon Setters and Papillons. And now I am exposed to even more breeds, working in a grooming/doggie day care facility. There have been individual dogs come in that I could easily live with, but for the most part, it only strengthens my preferance for my chosen breeds. So… yeah. I am a breed snob, and proud of it 😃 . ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f07891/32.png) [@Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Plastic_Ninja)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-psychological-difference-between-a-cat-person-and-a-dog-person/351069/39 "2006-04-04T16:11:29Z")
> [@Nonsuch](#): > > There are other factors at work, of course. If you live in an apartment and want a pet, chances are the only one you can get (apart from aquarium pets) is a cat. Likewise, younger, on-the-go people find it convenient to have a pet that doesn’t need walking and won’t chew up half your wardrobe if you go away for the weekend. This fits me completely. I live alone and it got horribly lonely, so I decided to get a pet. I live on the third floor, so taking an animal for a walk is going to be a special kind of hassle; plus, I want to be able to take off for a weekend without carting the dog to my parents’ or a boarder’s. Also, I really hate cooping dogs up in an apartment – unless the dog is very small I feel quite guilty, and I’m not a big fan of teensy dogs. I love beagles – small but not TOO small. I have two cats now, where I’d only planned to have one. The big one is extremely affectionate and loving and must, must, must be on my lap when I’m on the computer or playing video games. Sitting beside me is an acceptable second. But he got so horribly lonely when I left, affectionate bastard that he is, that he would HOWL and HOWL and HOWL whenever I left the apartment. I could hear him from my car. My neighbors must’ve hated me. Now that he has a kitten he’s much happier. I have to say, too, that there cannot be two cats in the world that have cleaner ears or backsides than mine. 😃 I do love dogs – my parents have three dogs and four cats, as I recall. I keep losing count. They have the Dumbest Boxer In The World, a rather smart black speckled thing, and a Basenji-mix matriarch. Very affectionate, lovely creatures that mob me whenever I come through the door. I just like my enthusiasm a little smaller. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-psychological-difference-between-a-cat-person-and-a-dog-person/351069/40 "2006-04-04T17:40:38Z")
> [@nevermore](#): > > Cat lovers don’t seem to like when I bite or play-hit See, what you call “a difference of philosophy between cat lovers and dog lovers”, I call “assault”, or, alternatively, “a lack of respect for personal boundaries and who decides what injurious actions are taken against a person’s body”. This is the kind of thing that makes me ignore people for life–or, if they keep hitting/biting me when I ask them to stop, sock them in the face in self-defense. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-psychological-difference-between-a-cat-person-and-a-dog-person/351069.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-psychological-difference-between-a-cat-person-and-a-dog-person/351069.md?page=3)