By Victoria McNally // SWNS
Forget the “lonely cat lady” stereotype: a new poll suggests that when it comes to romance, cat owners are doing just fine, if not better.
In a recent comparison of 1,000 Americans who own cats and 1,000 who don’t, the survey found that marriage rates among both groups were essentially the same (79%).
What’s more, cat owners were actually slightly more likely to be involved in relationships (92% vs 89%) than non-cat owners.
And half of feline-deficient singletons claimed to be uninterested in dating to begin with, compared to only one in three cat fanciers.
Conducted by OnePoll for the brand World’s Best Cat Litter, survey results also revealed that 72% consider owning a pet to be “attractive,” regardless of their own relationship or pet ownership status.
When asked to imagine a scenario in which a potential online dating match is pictured with a cat, the majority of respondents said they’d be “more interested” as a result – including 75% of people with cats and 61% of people without.
Meanwhile, seven in 10 think you should have to disclose whether or not you own pets in your profile – same as the amount who think parents on dating apps should mention having kids.
“Even if you’re not the type to treat your pets like they’re your children, they’re still an important part of the family and can wield a lot of influence,” said Jean Broders, Director of Marketing for World’s Best Cat Litter. “Cat owners clearly seem to know this, as our findings indicate they’re more likely to worry about making a good first impression on a partner’s pet.”
Four in 10 have even gone home with a potential date specifically to meet that person’s pet, according to the data.
Even still, 40% of cat owners polled said they’d still be willing to date someone who didn’t like cats – although an “open hatred of cats” proved the top deal breaker among that same group.
Being allergic to cats is also a bigger issue than you might think – while not surprisingly, 41% of cat owners cited it as a problem, so did 32% of those without cats.
Interestingly, cat owners seemed slightly more willing to consider a romantic partner who didn’t have a job – only 34% described it as a deal breaker, compared to 40% of non-cat owners.
“Perhaps they figure there’ll be someone at home to do all the feeding and cleaning,” mused Broders. “After all, almost 77% said they worry that guests will be able to smell odors from their cat’s litter box, so it’s clearly a pressing concern!”
BIGGEST DEAL BREAKERS FOR CAT OWNERS
- If they openly hated cats - 45%
- If they were allergic to cats - 41%
- If they lived more than an hour away from you - 37%
- If they didn’t have a job - 34%
- If they owned a dog - 34%
- If they still lived with their parents - 27%
- If they belonged to a different political party than you - 18%
- If they didn’t own any books - 6%
- If they were bad at spelling in their messages - 4%
- None of these would be deal breakers - 11%
BIGGEST DEAL BREAKERS FOR EVERYONE ELSE:
- If they didn’t have a job - 40%
- If they lived more than an hour away from you - 38%
- If they were allergic to cats - 32%
- If they owned a dog - 31%
- If they openly hated cats - 31%
- If they still lived with their parents - 29%
- If they belonged to a different political party than you - 21%
- If they didn’t own any books - 9%
- If they were bad at spelling in their messages - 9%
- None of these would be deal breakers - 13%
Survey methodology:
This random double-opt-in survey of 1,000 cat owners and 1,000 non-cat owners was commissioned by World’s Best Cat Litter between Jan. 27 and Jan 31, 2023. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society and have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).
