Canine, Feline -- Choice!

"Children in our study preferred dogs over cats in every comparison, and regardless of their familiarity with this species.
"The appreciation of less popular animals like cats probably needs time to develop, and appears more dependent on their physical appeal and on our contacts with them.
"In species whose young completely depend on their caregivers for sustenance and protection, (this) response has a clear adaptive value, contributing to enhance offspring chances of survival.
"What is interesting for us is the possibility that such a response may be generalized to the human-animal bond."
Marta Borgi, Instituto Superiore di Sanita, Italy

AP Photo/Cleveland Animal Protective League    At just three years old, children already see cats as playing second fiddle to dogs, suggests a new study of kids’ responses to animals

 

Ms. Borgi reported in the journal Human-Animal Interaction Bulletin that very young children will make a choice in favour of dogs over cats as a companion animal, or one that appeals to their sense of attraction. The study in question whose co-author was Francesca Cirulli, drew on the opinions and sensibilities of 272 children, three to six years of age who were given photographs of dogs and cats to consider.

Along with those of adult dogs and cats, a teddy bear, a human baby, a puppy and a kitten.

Most of the children stated their preference to be dogs over cats. Those that favoured cats over dogs generally had experience at home with cats. Animals with baby-cherubic features appealed to children, just as they do to adults. The animals' appeal to both is that they appear to be dependent, sweet and vulnerable, arousing a protective and caring attitude in the observer. It's easy to attribute a sweet disposition to a sweet-looking animal.

Animals with big eyes and round faces, floppy ears and small bodies were more preferred than the alternatives. When children were accustomed to seeing cats in their own home situation then they would make a choice in favour of cats, but the study authors found that the reverse had "no effects of having dogs at home but a statistically significant effect of cat ownership".

And then, the gender of the children themselves had a play in the choice with girls preferring a dog with infantile traits over a dog without those traits. The overall bias for dogs was not as prevalent as that for cats with baby-like features. Dogs simply made the grade in the majority of choices, over that of cats.