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Animals

How Often Do You Skip Social Events to Be With Your Cat?

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As crazy cat ladies — titles we bear with pride — we’ve been known to skip events so we can spend time with our precious pets instead. And according to a new survey, we’re not the only ones. Cat owners, not surprisingly, are obsessed with their kitties, and they have some pretty over-the-top ways of expressing their love. 

Vetted Pet Care, a service that offers in-home care by local vets, surveyed cat owners across the country to find out just how much they love their cats for National Cat Day on October 29. And if you’re a feline fan, the statistics pretty much speak for themselves.

We have to chuckle after hearing that 2 in 5 cat owners surveyed have skipped a social event to hang out with their cat instead. (The other 3 in 5 owners are missing out on a great excuse, in our opinion.) Meanwhile, it’s warming our hearts that nearly half of these owners go out of their way to surpise their cat with a gift on the kitty’s birthday — what a special celebration indeed.

We love to snuggle with our furry friends at night, so we suppose we shouldn’t be shocked that more than 75 percent of cat owners allow their kitties to sleep in bed with them. But we didn’t know that more than half of these owners would rather sleep next to their cat than another human — wow! But we can’t say we’re surprised at all that 9 out of 10 cat owners have said their pets have improved their lives. And it only seems natural that 96 percent of them say they consider their kitties to be part of the family. They’re called “fur babies” for a reason, after all!

Of course, this isn’t the first time a survey has proved how much we adore our feline friends. Back in September, a survey commissioned by Mars Petcare U.S., Inc. (a corporation that owns several pet-food brands, as well as some veterinary chains) of 1,000 cat owners revealed all the adorable ways they bond with their felines. Almost half of all participants — a whopping 44 percent — admitted to having a framed photo of their kitties (they’re basically like your kids, aren’t they?). The average cat owner has 13 cat-related items in his or her home, including cat stuffed animals (43 percent) and calendars (38 percent). 

Cat owners also take full advantage of their smartphone cameras: 47 percent of cat moms and dads photograph their fur babies, with three being the average number of attempts needed to get the “purr-fect” shot. And when kitties aren’t getting their model on, they’re usually chatting with their owners: On average, cat owners spend three-and-a-half hours each week talking to their kitties. 

It’s no surprise that cat parents feel incredibly bonded to their animals given how much time they’re together (cat owners report spending nine hours per week cuddling their kittens). Around 93 percent of respondents said they feel a strong connection with their pet, and 60 percent said their cat helped them cope when they were lonely. In return for their kitties’ unending love and support (even if it doesn’t seem like cats are capable of love unless there’s a treat involved), 81 percent of cat owners say they care deeply about their feline’s happiness. 

Looks like we can finally quash that terrible stereotype of cats being aloof creatures. We’ve always known our kitties are just lovey-dovey fluff balls deep down, and we now have the data to prove it.

Next, see some adorable two-faced cats that’ll make you do a double-take in the video below:

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