Do You Think Your Cat or Dog Is Smarter Than The Average Person?
What kind of pet parent are you?
We either think way too highly of our pets’ brainpower or don’t think much of the average person’s intellect.
Maybe both. 61% of cat and dog owners think their pet is smarter than the average person, according to a new poll. Around 80% said their pet is at least as smart.
The survey also found one in four has referred to their pet as their “child.” And one in three have called themselves their pet’s “mom” or “dad.” 81% said they treat their pet the same way they’d treat an actual child. 57% will buy them gifts for the holidays, and 40% dress them up in clothes sometimes.
The most common things we dress our pets in include costumes, sweaters, and jackets. But 23% of people who’ve dressed up a pet have put them in formal wear before, like a dress or tuxedo for a wedding.
A separate study just found that treating our pets like kids might not be THAT crazy though.
Researchers at Oregon State found there are three main types of pet parents, and they closely resemble the three main types of actual parents. The three types are High expectations and hands-on, high expectations but hands-off, and hands-off with low expectations.
They didn’t look at the best way to parent a cat. But for dogs, having high expectations and being hands-ON seems to be best. Dogs in that group were more social, less scared, and better at solving puzzles. In other words, they were smarter and more well-rounded.
