Would You Kill Or Die To Protect Your Pet? Dog And Cat Owners Go Head-To-Head In New Study

Their unconditional love, companionship, sloppy kisses and playful antics are just a few reasons people love their pets, but just how far would dog and cat owners really go for their furry friends?

The battle between the pets rages on, but both sides can agree that having a dog or cat means more than just having something to cuddle with; more and more Americans view their four-legged companions as part of the family.

They’re furry and friendly and for many people a lick and a cuddle is all that’s needed for them to become family, but just how far would pet owners go to protect their dogs and cats?

Would they leave their significant other over a pet; would they rescue them first in a house fire, would they go hungry so their furry friend could eat?

Just how far would pet owners go to protect their cat or dog?

The writers over at Abodo surveyed 2,000 people to find out who took their role as pet parents seriously and who just wanted an animal around for companionship.

Most Americans love their pets more than money and they value them more than their material possessions. Some 88 percent of owners would pay for their pet’s surgery rather than let them die and 85 percent would give up food for a day so their dog or cat could eat.

People love their pets so much they spent more than $62 billion last year alone on treats, food, toys and healthcare to keep their dogs and cats happy.

They found most people would be willing to suffer for their pets, sell a prized possession or go hungry, but fewer people would be willing to kill or die to protect their four-legged friends.

Most pet parents seem to like their dogs and cats better than people, almost two-thirds of owners interviewed would choose their pets over their significant other and more than half would rather eat a person than their furry friend.

Of the pet parents interviewed, 32 percent would be willing to kill a person to save their furry friend and 23 percent would sacrifice their own lives to save their cat or dog.

When it comes to dog and cat owners, however, not every pet parent was created equal.

Dog owners claimed more categories overall. They were more willing to sell a possession to pay for surgery, give up their favorite food, lose a finger, kill a person, jump into boiling water or give up their life to protect their pet.

On the other hand, cat owners are more likely to save their furry friend in a fire, choose their pet over a significant other or resort to cannibalism rather than eat their four-legged companion.

By region, pet parents in the Northeast of the country were more willing to die for their pets or give up their significant other more than dog and cat owners in other parts of the country.

Check out the whole pet survey on Abodo.

People have been keeping pets for thousands of years; the practice of keeping domesticated animals as companions probably started when our ancestors used wolves for protection.

Gradually the wolves became tame and turned into dogs and thus the practice of keeping pets became part of our culture.

Meanwhile, scientists say cats probably starting hanging around human settlements thousands of years ago for the mice living in their food storage; gradually they developed the ability to purr and cuddle for treats.

Culturally, it’s a bit of a mystery why Americans love their pets so much. After all the care often goes one way with pet owners spending large sums of money on food, healthcare, treats, and toys for their furry friends, but the trend seems set to continue.

Every year, the pet industry grows as more Americans adopt cats and dogs and they spend more money to make their furry friends happy.

What do you think? Would you kill or die to protect your pet?

[Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images, Graphs used with permission from Abodo]