All pet parents understand that our fur babies come first, even if that sometimes means scaring away potential mates. Still what many don’t realize is that owning a pet can actually attract a person to you (and your beloved animal). It’s officially time to retire the stereotype that having a cat means saying goodbye to meeting a special human someone. In fact, recent research claims the opposite — that being a cat person may actually make you more likely to score a relationship or a good date.
It’s official: there are romantic benefits to owning a cat
Luckily for us, new research conducted by OnePoll for World’s Best Cat Litter of 1,000 cat owners (and 1,000 non-cat owners) has discovered that kitty moms and dads are actually more likely to be in a relationship and equally likely to be married. But if you’re in the dating market, there’s even better news. 72% of everyone surveyed thought owning a pet was an attractive quality, and many stated they would be more interested in dating someone who had one. To top it off, 40% claimed they had gone home with a potential date to meet a particularly cute pet at one time or another, so your little kitty might help you out in that department too.
Cat people will still scare away a few dates (good riddance)
On the flip side, we all understand there are some drawbacks to living with a pet, mainly that some won’t be able to enter into a partnership with us (and our fuzzball) no matter how much they might want to. Research participants were very cognizant of allergies in particular, with 41% saying it would pose a potential problem. That’s just slightly more than the number who mentioned a dislike of cats would not stop them from dating someone (40%). It’s important to note that hating cats mostly crossed the line, and cat people generally do not want to date those who don’t understand their kitties.
Pets are part of the family for many
Every cat person knows that our pets are important to us and equivalent to family. “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,” says Jean Broders, Director of Marketing for World’s Best Cat Litter, in a statement. “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.”
With this in mind, it probably is better to be completely upfront about your status as a pet owner. Seven in ten respondents stated specifically that everyone should include in their dating profile if they have a furry friend at home (and isn’t it better to get those cat haters to swipe left anyway?).
There are many benefits to being a pet parent, and it seems we can add finding love to the list. Whether you are happily in a relationship or out looking for the perfect match, you can rest easy knowing your four-legged bestie is only helping you in your human relationships. And, while dates might come and go, your cat will never stop unconditionally loving you.
