http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/home-garden/australia-is-a-nation-of-cat-people-according-to-new-rspca-survey/story-fngwib2y-1226578507818#

Australia is a nation of cat people, according to new RSPCA survey, John Russell reports.

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Image – ‘cat’3 Videos – 1. Funny cat likes to walk around sitting on a fluffy sheep. 2. What if cats had thumbs? 3. Cats and feline lovers alike enjoy an international cat pageant in Israel where paws and whiskers are the fashion.

IT seems that dogs aren't really man's best friend - at least when it comes to Aussies who are apparently a nation of cat people.

The NSW RSPCA conducted an online survey of 751 people across Australia to gauge attitudes towards and ownership levels of dogs and cats. Of those surveyed, 66.3 per cent said they thought dogs were Australia's favourite pet and only 6.1 per cent thought we were a nation of cat lovers.

But it turns out that 33.9 per cent of those surveyed said they owned cats exclusively and under a third of respondents, at 22.7 per cent, owned only dogs.The majority of those surveyed, 38 per cent, professed equal love for both.

"There is a clear perception that we are a nation of dog people, but when you actually ask people about their feelings towards each animal, the truth is that they like both cats and dogs equally,'' RSPCA NSW chief veterinarian Dr Magdoline Awad said.

Owners are also likely to share their enthusiasm via social media , with more than 80 per cent of cat owners using sites like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to share photos of feline friends.

The RSPCA is hoping this online trend will interest even more people in becoming cat owners.

"Cats are an ideal pet for today's lifestyles,'' Dr Awad said.

"Cats are compact, they do not need to be walked, are happy to stay at home on their own and can offer a great deal of companionship.''

COMMENTSSandy Posted at 2:16 PM February 15, 2013Cats are not happy to stay at home on their own. They are a pest who run the streets, fight with other cats, kill wildlife and poo in our gardens. The laws need to be changed to make cat owners as responsible as dog owners - in that they need to be confined to their own yards. I didn't choose to have a cat, so I shouldn't have to deal with other people's cats digging up my garden……

GS: The logic behind cat ownership described here by the RSPCA is consistent with their interest in stealing my ragdolls, because ragdolls do not exhibit the behaviours complained of in the comment by Sandy – they are indeed happy to stay in the house and cuddle and smooch. This report on their research proves they had a knowledge base for raiding my property to steal my cats – they wanted them for their intrinsic desirability, apart from all the other motivations driving the sequence of events. Remember Canberra RSPCA CEO’s comment: “People are realising they now get quality animals at RSPCA shelters.”

To work for a better world: Never answer an RSPCA survey. Any information they acquire will be used for nefarious purposes. This information will be used to promote ragdoll sales at the so-called ‘shelters’, and therefore encourage them to raid more cat breeders, and steal more animals.