Petsitting Blog

It’s an ongoing debate among pet owners: dogs versus cats. A recent study doesn’t dare delve into whether one animal is “better” than another, but it DOES suggest that dog owners put more time, affection and money into their pets than cat owners do.

According to research published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, dogs not only get showered with more affection from their owners than cats, they’re also significantly more likely to receive medical services such as vaccinations, regular health exams and preventive dental care.

The multi-phase study was conducted with 2,000 dog and cat owners over the course of three months. Here are a few of its findings:

• Dog people are considerably more likely than cat people to spend whatever is necessary to keep their pet healthy (52% versus 42%)
• Dog people are more prone to seeing their animal as a child (43% versus 36%)
• Dog people more frequently buy gifts for the pet (48% versus 34%)
• Dog people are more apt to miss their animal while away from home (58% versus 47%)
• In homes where cats and dogs lived together, fully one-third of cats weren’t being taken for an annual vet exam compared with just 13% of canines from the same household

Jane E. Brunt, an AVMA spokeswoman and doctor of veterinary medicine, believes the trend is partially linked to diminished views of cats in popular culture. “People seem to feel dogs are more affectionate and fun to be with,” says Brunt. “But that’s not necessarily the case.”

Kim McDonald of the McDonald Family Animal Rescue adds, “Cats are seen as much more disposable. The whole ‘out of sight, out of mind’ thing really applies with cats. If (owners) are tired of them, they’ll just let them out and hope they don’t come home.”

(McDonald recalls rescuing a Maine Coon cross days before he was scheduled to be put down because the cat, which had lived with its family for four years, became anxious around their new dog.)

The AVMA study seems to confirm this type of doggy favoritism. There’s also bias in the manufacturing world where dog merchandise outnumbers cat merchandise by two to one. Looks like the phrase, “It’s a dog’s life,” has a whole new meaning…

Any cat owners want to chime in?

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