Am I a cat person or a dog person?
You probably already have an answer, so the test asks for it first. Then it checks it against your personality. In 2010, psychologists at the University of Texas asked thousands of volunteers to take a short Big Five personality test and say whether they were a dog person, a cat person, both or neither. The groups came out different: dog people scored higher on extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness, and cat people higher on neuroticism and openness to new experiences.
Here you rate ten statements about yourself, two for each of the five traits, such as “At a party, I end up talking to lots of people” or “I plan things well ahead”, on a three-step scale from “Not me” to “That’s me”. Every answer tips a seesaw between a cat and a dog. At the end you see which way your personality leans, as a percentage toward the dog side, your score on each of the five traits, and whether it agrees with what you said at the start.
The differences in the study were real but small, and the volunteers chose to take part online, so they don’t represent everyone. Plenty of outgoing people love cats and plenty of worriers love dogs. Treat the result as a fun reading, not a verdict on which pet you should have.
What the test asks
One question about you, then ten statements.
The questions
- First: cat person, dog person, both or neither?
- Two statements each on extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness
- One of each pair reversed, so agreeing with everything doesn’t tip the result
- Answer on a three-step scale: not me, sort of, that’s me
Your result
- Golden Retriever Energy, House Cat Soul or Two-Bowl Household
- How far your personality leans toward the dog side, as a percentage
- Your five trait scores, and which side scored higher on each in the study
- Whether your personality agrees with what you said you were
- A share card with your lean and all five traits
Cat people and dog people: common questions
Is this test free? Do I need to sign up to see my result?
Yes, it’s free, and there’s nothing to sign up for: no account, no email, no payment. Your result appears on this page the moment you finish, and you can share it or play again straight away.
Are my answers saved or sent anywhere?
No. Your answers and your result stay in your browser: nothing you pick or type is sent to us. The live site counts anonymous visits (that a test was opened, how far people got, whether they finished) without any of the answers. Your latest result is kept in this browser so you can find it again, and a challenge link carries only the name of your result. If you add a photo of your pet to the share card, it is drawn on your device and never uploaded.
How long does it take, and can I play on my phone?
About 2 minutes. It works on a phone, tablet or computer in any up-to-date browser, as long as 3D graphics (WebGL) are switched on, which they are almost everywhere. Sound effects are optional: the switch is in the top corner.
What does the cat person or dog person test tell me?
The test puts you on a seesaw between a cat and a dog and gives one of three results: Golden Retriever Energy, House Cat Soul or Two-Bowl Household. You see your lean as a percentage toward the dog side, a 0–100 score on each of five traits (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness), and whether your personality agrees with the side you picked at the start. The share card shows your five traits, with room for a photo of your own pet, and a challenge link lets a friend see which side they land on.
How is the result worked out, and how accurate is it?
You say which side you think you’re on, then rate ten statements, two per Big Five trait, from “Not me” to “That’s me”. Each answer tips the seesaw toward the cat or the dog, depending on which group scored higher on that trait in Gosling, Sandy and Potter’s 2010 study of thousands of online volunteers. 60% or more toward the dog is Golden Retriever Energy, 40% or less is House Cat Soul, and anything between is Two-Bowl Household. The statements were written for this page, not a validated personality test, and the study’s differences were small.
What is the personality difference between cat people and dog people?
In Gosling, Sandy and Potter’s 2010 study, people who called themselves dog people scored higher on extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness, while cat people scored higher on neuroticism and openness to new experiences. The University of Texas release about the study put the gaps at roughly 11 to 15 percent. The volunteers chose to take part online, so they don’t represent everyone, and plenty of outgoing people love cats.
Can I be both a cat person and a dog person?
Yes. The 2010 study let volunteers say both or neither, and so does this test. If your ten statements land near the middle of the seesaw, more than 40 and less than 60 percent toward the dog, your result is Two-Bowl Household, whichever side you picked at the start.
Where the facts come from
The trait differences are from Gosling, Sandy and Potter (2010); the percentages are from the University of Texas news release about the study. The ten statements are our own.
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