Human Preferences for Dogs and Cats in China: The Current Situation and Influencing Factors of Watching Online Videos and Pet Ownership

Dogs and cats have become the most important and successful pets through long-term domestication. People keep them for various reasons, such as their functional roles or for physical or psychological support. However, why humans are so attached to dogs and cats remains unclear. A comprehensive understanding of the current state of human preferences for dogs and cats and the potential influential factors behind it is required. Here, we investigate this question using two independent online datasets and anonymous questionnaires in China. We find that current human preferences for dog and cat videos are relatively higher than for most other interests, video plays ranking among the top three out of fifteen interests. We also find genetic variations, gender, age, and economic development levels notably influence human preferences for dogs and cats. Specifically, dog and cat ownership are significantly associated with parents' pet ownership of dogs and cats (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient is 0.43, 95% CI: 0.38-0.47), and the primary reason is to gain emotional support. Further analysis finds that women, young people, and those with higher incomes are more likely to prefer dog and cat videos. Our study provides insights into why humans become so attached to dogs and cats and establishes a foundation for developing co-evolutionary models.