Guys who thought that having a pet, or specifically a cat in their dating profile picture, would make them more appealing to women, may want to crop that cat out of their picture. A new study finds that women find cat-loving men less attractive…at least those who pose with their cats.

What does this mean for Fluffy? Well, it means that she may no longer find herself in online pictures with her owner.

Scientists Lori Kogan and Shelly Volsche were curious about what types of photos people should include in their dating profile pictures. They wanted to know if the presence of a cat impacts whether a woman finds a man attractive.

Previous studies have shown that women found pet owners more attractive than non-pet owners. So, they thought it was going to be a no-brainer that women would find men more attractive if they included a cat in their profile picture. Both Kogan and Volsche assumed that having a cat in the picture would make them appear more gentle and sensitive, which many women find appealing.

Think again. They used these photos to see how women reacted to cats in the picture.

The study found that college-aged women rated the man holding the cat as more agreeable, but less masculine and more neurotic, making him less dateable. Ouch! Only women who identified themselves as a “cat person” found the men holding the cat more desirable.

Here’s something else to consider…

When women were shown the pictures of men without cats, 38% said they were likely or very likely to casually date them. When the cat was added into the picture, that number dropped to 33%. The number of women saying they would never consider getting involved grew by 5%

As you can imagine, not everyone agrees with science.

Some people expressed their skepticism about the study online.

“It should be the other way. As my Mom always told me, never trust anyone who doesn’t like cats! If it is because of allergies, then they are not trustworthy, she said.” -Virginia Kavanagh Drew

“To me, it means he has patience and is kind. He is also a person who knows how to compromise, cause if you have a cat, you have to know how to give in.” -Melanie Brown

“I literally stayed with ultimately married my husband for his cat! I don’t believe this at all! -Dawn Ubovich DiPietro Ubovich

What about men with dogs? How do canines affect a man’s dateability?

Kogan and Volsche tell Bored Panda, “A follow-up study with a third comparative photo of a man with a dog could serve to further test the impact of pets by looking across species. For example, would women find the man alone more or less masculine than a man with a dog? Further, what role would the size/breed of the dog play in these perceptions?”

While the jury remains out about canines, men, and their dateability, some men may now be thinking twice about adding their felines to their dating profile. If you don’t really love cats, posing with one because you think it’s going to get you a girl may not be the best idea. It may be better to go solo…or maybe wait until the research is out about how a dog plays into the equation.

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Source: Bored Panda