Pet adoption is still on the rise. As the worldwide pandemic hit, many hoomans realized that they needed some extra fluffiness to warm their hearts in this chaotic world. Meanwhile, experts continually urge every potential adoptive pet parent to think very carefully through their decision, be realistic about how much time and effort they can devote, and not adopt impulsively.

However, there’s one thing that seems to be clear for most pet owners and that’s what kind of pet they want. No wonder people like to refer to themselves as either cat or dog people, and these two groups are often pretty strictly defined. In fact, cat people say they find a better connection with fellow feline aficionados, while dog people may give a Tinder date a hard pass if they find they’re into cats more than dogs.

So to find out more about whether cat people and dog people are really as different as they'd like to think, Bored Panda spoke with Professor Samuel D. Gosling, a professor at the Department Of Psychology at The University Of Texas. Gosling has three main areas of interest: Connections between people and the physical spaces in which they live, personality in nonhuman animals, and new methods for obtaining data useful for research in the social sciences.

Gosling told us that on average dog and cat people are indeed different but there's a lot of overlap between the two groups. “Just as men are on average taller than women, there is still a lot of overlap between the two groups in height (i.e., men are generally taller than women but there are still lots of women taller than lots of men).”

“So, with that background, yes, people who self-identify as dog people are reliably different from people who self-identify as cat people,” the professor said.

According to Gosling, “people who self-identify as dog people are higher on the Big Five traits of Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness and lower on the Big Five traits of Neuroticism and Openness than are people who self-identify as cat people.” In order to get a better sense of what's meant by those personality labels, Gosling’s advice is to read about the Big Five.

In a previous interview, we also spoke with Yulia Popyk, an animal behavior expert from Petcube Emergency Fund who explained that there are a number of reasons for the surge in pet adoptions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“First, many people were (and perhaps many still are) spending more time at home and were looking for a companion. Second, some people have been looking for a sense of normalcy during these uncertain times. Third, pets can provide emotional support and help reduce stress and anxiety. Last but not least, adopting a pet from a shelter or rescue organization can help save a life.”

Popyk added that this fact itself already provides enough motivation and inspiration during hard times like these.

Meanwhile, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people were at home more often and had more time to care for a pet. Pets also provide companionship and help reduce stress and anxiety which became something we all craved during those uncertain times.

At the same time, pet adoption should be viewed as a tremendous responsibility. Popyk argues that every person who considers pet adoption should start by asking themselves if they are prepared to commit to taking care of another living creature for the duration of its life. “This includes feeding, walking, exercising, and providing veterinary care as needed,” she added.