Over 50 Percent of American Pet Owners Think They Share Personality Traits with Their Pets
Over 50 Percent of American Pet Owners Think They Share Personality Traits with Their PetsA new survey found that 64% of pet owners think their furry friend is “clever”.
Some pets may look like their owners — but over half of American pet parents think their animal companion acts like them too, according to new research.
In a recent survey, 80% of 2,000 respondents said they believe their pet has a “very distinct personality,” with 55% believing they share similar personality traits with their pet.
Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of ZippyPaws, the survey revealed that American pet owners are also particularly eager to believe that their pets are intelligent.
When asked to choose between “clever” and “oblivious” to define their pet’s personality, 64% of respondents chose the former versus 24% who said the latter.
Similarly, 62% of respondents used the term “smart” when describing their pet.
The data also suggests that the majority of American pets are more friendly than shy (50% vs. 42%), more clingy than aloof (50% vs. 35%), more trusting than suspicious (57% vs. 31%) and more hyperactive than lazy (51% vs. 30%).
However, life as a pet isn’t always sunshine and treats. Almost a third (30%) of respondents admitted their pets are “anxious,” and another third (33%) would describe their pet as a “drama queen.”
Twenty percent think their pet is just plain weird, and another 48% said they’ve seen their pet engage in behavior that’s considered unusual for their size or species — like cats who play fetch or big dogs that sit in people’s laps.
And 57% said their pet behaves very differently when it thinks it’s not being watched.
Three in four (76%) respondents even said they can always tell what their pet is thinking just from the look on its face, the results indicate.
Out of the 57% of respondents who own multiple pets, 80% said they always know which one is making a noise in another room, even when they aren’t looking.
However, knowing your pet doesn’t mean you always know what it’s going to like — as evidenced by the fact that 80% of respondents have bought their pet a special bed to sleep in, but only 58% said their pet actually uses it.
Source: People
