Study Says Keep Your Cat Out of Dating Profile If You Want to Get Any, Well, You Know What

If your dating app action has been rather lackluster, your cat may be to blame. So says a new study from Colorado State University in which 708 women ages 18 to 24 looked at photos of two men, pictured with and without their fur babies. When there was a cat in the picture, women were less likely to express interest, meaning that male feline lovers are less likely to get, well, you know.

The un-fur-tunate stats: when women saw a feline-free photo of a man, 38 percent said they were likely or very likely to casually date him and 37 percent were down for a serious relationship. When the same man was cuddling his furry friend in the photos, only 33 percent were interested in dating or relating with the dude. And the group that said they’d never get involved with the guy rose from 9 percent to 14 percent when the kitty was included in the pic.

Photo: Colorado State University

These findings seem to go against all common sense. Women love cats, right? (If not, where did the cat lady stereotype come from?) And aren’t men who love cats more sensitive and sweeter than dudes who post motorcycle or hunting pics? Probably. But apparently, women don’t want the warm fuzzy dude; they want the bad boy Alpha.

“Men holding cats were viewed as less masculine; more neurotic, agreeable, and open; and less dateable,” the researchers concluded. “American culture has distinguished ‘cat men’ as less masculine, perhaps creating a cultural preference for ‘dog men’ among most heterosexual women in the studied age group.”

There you have it. The dating app equivalent of catnip for women are dog pics. So keep your kitty out of your profile pic if you’re hoping to, um, bone.

Cover Photo: Westend61

Deep Dive: Is Porn Ruining Your Sex Life?

MORE NEWS:

Deep Dive: Do More Partners Make You a Better Lover?

Follow Mandatory on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.