Having a cat in your dating profile makes you more attractive: poll

This story version has been formatted as an on-air script for broadcast outlets. See the original research story here.

FORGET THE “LONELY CAT LADY” STEREOTYPE: A NEW POLL SUGGESTS THAT WHEN IT COMES TO ROMANCE, CAT OWNERS ARE DOING JUST FINE. 

IN A RECENT SURVEY 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.

CONDUCTED BY ONEPOLL FOR WORLD’S BEST CAT LITTER, STUDY RESULTS ALSO SHOW SEVEN IN 10 THINK YOU SHOULD DISCLOSE WHETHER OR NOT YOU OWN PETS IN YOUR DATING PROFILE – THE SAME AMOUNT WHO THINK PARENTS SHOULD MENTION HAVING KIDS.

FOUR IN 10 HAVE EVEN GONE HOME WITH SOMEONE SPECIFICALLY TO MEET THEIR PET.

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).