Colorado State University researchers showed 708 young women two images of two men, but in one they’re by themselves and in the other, they’re holding a feline friend. It turns out, the men with pets weren’t the cat’s meow.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb For the first man, 38 percent of women said they were likely to casually date him, and 37 percent said they’d consider a serious relationship with him when he was posed alone. But that number dropped to 33 percent in both instances when he was joined by his furry pal. At the same time, the amount of women who said they weren’t interested at all rose from 9 percent to 14 percent due to his pet. With the second subject, 45 percent of respondents said they’d be unlikely or certain not to date the man with a cat. “Men holding cats were viewed as less masculine; more neurotic, agreeable, and open; and less dateable,” the authors wrote, pointing to common stereotypes about individuals who are ’team cat.’ The results also greatly depended on whether the female respondents self-identified as a dog lover or a cat person. This suggests that “American culture has distinguished ‘cat men’ as less masculine, perhaps creating a cultural preference for ‘dog men’ among most heterosexual women in the studied age group,” the authors explain. RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. Meanwhile, a separate survey conducted in March by OnePoll and the pet food brand “I and love and you” found that dog owners were much luckier daters. A whopping 63 percent reported that they had more success on dating apps when they included an adorable pup in their profile. So, the cat’s out of the bag. Women are more likely to swipe right if men have a canine companion than a cuddly kitten. And to see what dating will look like after the coronavirus pandemic, Here’s When You Can Safely Date Again.
