🐱Cat People - Single? Think Twice Before Posing With Your Feline🐱

If you’re looking to find love on a dating app, there’s plenty you need to think about: what to include in your bio, the interests you list, and what you say you’re looking for. And in an age of rapid swiping, you’re probably going to need a knock-out profile picture too.

But don’t be too quick to assume that a picture with your pet might boost your chances — at least if you’re a male cat owner, that is.

Men holding cats in photographs are seen as less masculine, more neurotic and ultimately less dateable.

To look at the impact of cats on online dating success,1388 participants were asked to complete a survey in which they saw two images of a man. In both pictures, the man was sitting in a chair against a white background, wearing a blue button-down shirt and jeans. In one picture, he was alone; in the other, he was shown with a ginger cat on his lap. The order in which participants saw these images were randomised. There were two different versions of this survey, each depicting a different man.

After viewing each picture, participants rated the men on several attributes.  Participants were also asked directly whether or not they would consider dating the man in either the short or long term, and whether or not they considered themselves to be a cat or dog person.

The presence of a cat did have an impact on how the men were perceived. When Man 1 was pictured by himself, he was seen as more extraverted; when he was with the cat, he was seen to be more agreeable, more neurotic and more open, and less traditionally masculine.

Overall, women were also less likely to want to date the man when he was holding a cat than when alone, and tended to see him as less desirable for a long-term relationship.

Unsurprisingly, women who considered themselves to be “dog people” were less likely to favour the cat picture version than women who thought of themselves as “cat people”.