Living in our socially distant, potentially lonely existence, single people across the globe want to stand out on their preferred dating app. And what better way to do that than by posing with your pet?
Well, that might not be the best idea for everyone. A study published this summer indicates that men who pose with cats in their dating app profile photos might have a harder time finding female companionship.
Profs. Lori Kogan (Colorado State University) and Shelly Volsche (Boise State University) recruited more than 1,300 heterosexual women between the ages of 18 and 24 to take a simple online survey. In the survey, they were shown two photos of a white man in his early 20s. He holds a cat in one photo and is alone in the other. (The researchers used two models, but the women were only shown two photos of one man.)
Look away, single cat dads. The results arenât pretty. For the first man pictured with a cat, more than one third of the women polled said they would either never consider or likely wouldnât date him casually or long-term. The second guyâs photo with a cat fared worse: More than 40 percent of the women said they wouldnât or likely wouldnât date him.
On average, women were more open to the photos without the cats. For the most part, the men saw higher numbers in the âperhaps,â âyes, likely,â and âabsolutely yesâ dating categories. Though, it should be noted that guy No. 2 had a higher âabsolutelyâ casually date number for his cat photo. (Shouts out to the cat ladies.)
 Cats Mirror the Personalities of Their Owners, According to New Research
Researchers found that the women also viewed the men in the cat photos as less masculine, less extroverted, and more neurotic. They also thought the cat photos indicated the men were more open and agreeable, so thatâs good? Also, the study indicated that at least some of the women who ID as âcat peopleâ found the cat photos more appealing.
Kogan and Volshe write that women âoftenâ seek more masculine men to date, so the presence of catsâwhich they say are considered feminine petsâmight be enough to steer ladies elsewhere. They also wonder if thinking of the male cat owners as more introverted and neurotic might send them into womenâs friend zonesâwhich, we should say, is great! Everyone needs friends.
Limitations of the Study
Donât lose hope, Cat Dudes. The authors did acknowledge some limitations in the study. Only young women responded, for example, and most of them were white. The men pictured are white or look white, too, so the authors âcannot be certain that our findings generalize to other racial or ethnic categories.â
Also, more than 40 percent of both groups of women who judged the photos said they were dog people and predictably were less likely to find the cat photos appealing. (An informal poll of female Daily Paws staff and friends confirms this.) And no offense to the two men picturedâIâm sure youâre both greatâbut itâs safe to assume that any other two men are going to get different responses.
Perhaps most importantly, pets are hardly the most important thing when youâre looking for a mate, whether for a committed relationship or what the authors hilariously call âa casual, short-term encounter.â
A Note to the Cat Dads
After reading this, some cat guys might be looking to alter their dating app strategy. Well, hereâs what you should change: NOT A DARN THING.
Fellas, you and your cats are a package deal. If she wonât accept your furry best friend, she can hit the dang bricks. If she sees your cat and swipes left, you didnât want her anyway!
The study proves that there are cat women out there, a Duchess to your Thomas OâMalley, so look for them. Heck, thereâs even a new dating app, Tabby, just for cat people.
Log on to that bad boy, be your usual, funny, smart, and handsome self, and soon youâll be drowning in dates.