Dogs Love Their Owners 5 Times More Than Cats Do, Study Reveals

Dogs love their owners up to five times more than cats do. This may come as a shock to some and not to others… especially for dog lovers!

People reports that a new study reveals that these findings could make dog owners tell cat owners, “I told you so.”

Research performed by the BBC documentary Cats vs Dogs shows that canines love their owners five times more than their feline counterparts, Mail Online reports.

According to the report, it had to do with the chemical, oxytocin. It’s also known as the love hormone, which releases during times of bonding or when a mother is feeding her newborn.

Dogs had higher levels of oxytocin than cats when they saw their owners. Scientists studied how cats and dogs alike reacted to their owners before and after seeing them. Researchers were able to gather data from a group of dogs and cats by taking samples of their saliva. They did this by taking the saliva samples, allowing the pets to play with their owners for 10 minutes, then obtaining a subsequent sample. It showed that dogs love their owners up to five times more than cats do.

Both cats and dogs showed increased levels of the “love hormone” after seeing their owners, but it was the canines that had a larger volume of it than the felines. In fact, it was up to 57.2 percent higher than cats after interacting with their favorite human beings. Cats showed an average increase of 12 percent of oxytocin.

WHOOH! Finally, someone cleared that up — Scientific study proves dogs love humans more than cats https://t.co/okR4pfFEgl

— Stella Braintree (@StellaBraintree) February 4, 2016

“I was really surprised to discover that dogs produced such high levels of oxytocin,” said neuroscientist Dr. Paul Zak, who arrived at the results. “It was also a nice surprise to discover that cats produce any at all. At least some of the time, cats seem to bond with their owners.”

Zak added that this proves dogs demonstrate love more than cats to their owners.

“From this sample it’s true to say that these dogs love their owners five times more than the cats do,” Zak said.

Here’s the kicker… the dogs also beat humans in oxytocin levels in comparable situations. For example, the average human has a 40-60 percent rise in the love hormone after interacting with their spouse or child. In that regard, maybe humans aren’t so far from being like cats!

Dogs are clearly more demonstrative in their love for humans than cats are, according to this study. Of course, there are instances in which certain cats are more affectionate than other cats. Some dogs are less interactive with humans, though not on a large scale.

The rivalry between dog lovers and cat lovers will still exist. Studies like these are interesting, but it’s not going to change what’s in anyone’s heart. There is a reason why they say dog is man’s best friend, however. Cats are recognized for being more independent creatures and can be sporadic in when they need extra attention from their owners. The humans who own cats understand their complexities and are compatible with the personality of felines.

11 More Pieces Of Evidence Dogs Love Humans Better Than Cats https://t.co/V5iIzJI6qC pic.twitter.com/GUjjMRw4II

— BarkPost (@BarkPost) February 5, 2016

For the most part, dogs are social animals and thrive on human interaction. This is why the latest study concluding that dogs love their owners five times more than cats do may not come as a complete surprise to dog owners. Cat owners will declare that their felines love them just as much, but express it in a different way.

What do you think of the study that dogs love their owners five times more than cats? Do you think your dog loves you more than your cat does?

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