CATS VS DOGS WHO LOVES YOU MORE?
Do you own both a cat and a dog? Which one do you believe loves you more?
The love hormone
Animals release the “love hormone” oxytocin when they interact with each other and with humans. Humans release oxytocin too. Scientists first discovered this hormone was released when new mothers interact with their baby and it’s also released by lovers during sexual intercourse. But back to cats and dogs Who loves you more?
A recent television program tested oxytocin levels of dogs and cats before and after they saw their owners. Dogs showed a bigger hormone increase of 57%, compared to just 12% in cats. The amount of oxytocin released by dogs is similar to humans when they see their spouse or children, if not a little more. Their conclusion was that dogs love us 5 times as much as cats do and dogs may even love us more than our spouses!
It appears though, that nobody loves like a goat!! When a pair of unlikely friends – a terrier and a goat, who regularly played with each other, were tested, the dog had a 48% increase in oxytocin, while the goat had a 210% increase! So while the dog was attached to the goat, the goat was in LOVE with the dog! Could goats be the most loving animals of all?
In other tests, after interacting with cats and dogs, only 30% of humans showed an increase in oxytocin. Those who had owned dogs in the past were more likely to have increased oxytocin levels than cat owners, or those who had never owned pets.
Who loves us most? Cats vs Dogs
So, from all this we could conclude that our cats love us less than dogs do and we also love cats less than dogs. But is this the case? Or do cats and their humans need the right environment to express their love. Perhaps cats are just more choosy than dogs!
What’s your experience? who loves you more? Does your cat love you at all? Does your dog? Does it matter?
About the author
Dr Jo Righetti is both a cat and dog owner. She enjoys writing about pets as part of her business Pet Problems Solved.
More on cat and dog behaviour
- Cleaning Up Pet Toileting Accidents
Cleaning up pet toileting accidents Tips for Cleaning up Pet Pee and Poo Toileting Problems Around Your Home ‘Accidents’ around the home need to be cleaned - Top 10 Problem Pets – and Problem Pet BehaviourAre you frustrated, angry or puzzled y your pet’s behaviour? Here’s your guide to the top 10 problem pets and problem cat behaviour and dog behaviour…
- Ask Dr Jo – Your Cat Q&As (With adorable Cats to watch!)Ask Dr Jo – Your Cat Q&As in the Fancy Feast Lounge Enjoy our cat videos, and get your feline questions answered, in my series of
- Australia’s cats kill 650 million reptiles a year!At Pet Problems Solved, we LOVE cats. But cats hunt, it’s inevitable. Indoors they hunt toys, food or us. Outdoors they hunt wildlife. New research, explained
- How to Keep Pets Calm in Stressful SituationsAll pets get stressed at times and some are in a constant state of anxiety, so it helps to know how to keep pets calm in
- Predicting the behaviour of rescue dogs. New Research to Improve AdoptabilityPredicting the behaviour of rescue dogs : It’s difficult to compare a shelter to a sofa! Are you thinking about adopting a rescue dog from a shelter? Or
- Does The Anxiety Wrap work?Does the Anxiety Wrap Work? Does your dog suffer from anxieties, fears or phobias? Stress is common in our pet dogs and most owners want to find relief
- Top 10 Problem Pets – and Problem Pet BehaviourAre you frustrated, angry or puzzled y your pet’s behaviour? Here’s your guide to the top 10 problem pets and problem cat behaviour and dog behaviour…
- Road tripping with a dog with car anxietyIf your dog is anxious while you travel, these tips, from Sarah Archer at Your Best Digs, may help… Road tripping with a dog with car anxiety Before
- A Day In The Life of A Pet Care CentreDo you ever wish that your dog was better behaved or perhaps just had more activities to occupy them? A pet care centre could be the answer and
Follow Pet Problems Solved on Pinterest
3 comments
Comments are closed.
l love dogs so much and I know that dogs love people more and cats sometimes are lazy so I hope that people love dogs more. The reasons are that they are playful, loyal, cute of course and they bark at strangers who are trying to get in your house and protect you? ????