Cats Make Men Less Attractive in Women’s Eyes, a Study Suggests

Believe it or not, men posing with their furry felines may cause their attractiveness level to drop in women’s eyes. Although prior research suggests that pet owners tend to be more date-able than men without pets, this fact is more relevant for dog owners. A new study by Colorado State University and Boise State University found that the opposite is true for cat owners: they have better chances at love when they have their cats out of the picture, so to speak.

Bright Side goes deeper into the study to find out more about why women are less interested when they see men with cats.

Photos with cats make men less popular when it comes to dating.

The study was done as an online survey where photographs of either one of the 2 male models were shown to each participant. The models were 20 and 21 years old, and appeared to be of the same ethnicity. One picture showed the man smiling at the camera alone, while the other showed the same man posing happily with a cat. The participants would then have to rate what they thought of the men’s personality, masculinity or femininity, and whether they’d date the men.

It was a surprise when the number of women who said “yes” to dating and a long-term relationship with the men dropped when they saw the men cuddling their cats. In the case of the first male model, for example, they went from around 38% and 37% respectively to about 33%. While the number of women who said “never” increased. Based on the data, these women viewed the men as less masculine and more moody while holding the cat and thus this made them less desirable as date partners.

But this may only apply to college girls in America.

The 708 participants selected were women who were ages 18 to 24, and almost half of them considered themselves a “dog person” and had a bachelor’s degree. Most of them were white and all of them lived in America. Since the number of male models and people tested were pretty small and lacked variety, it could be that this was just a cultural phenomenon. More studies need to be done to know for sure if men with cats are less attractive to women in general.

However, this finding is in line with a previous study that suggests that men who have pets affect women’s decisions on whether or not they’d go out with them. That same study also found that dogs, rather than cats, help boost a man’s attractiveness level. Another study found no link between having a cat and having a mental illness, yet here, the participants thought that the men were more moody when pictured with their cats.

Men who love cats are worth a shot.

Cat lovers tend to be more open-minded and sensitive than dog lovers, according to an associate professor of psychology at Carroll University. Cat lovers also usually scored higher on intelligence tests than dog lovers. If these are traits you would love in a man, there’s no reason to not swipe right on their picture with their cat!

Would you rather date a man with a cat, a dog, any other pet or a man without a pet? Let us know why and share this with people who have cats to see if they agree!