You know how your dog goes nuts when you get home and treats you like a hero. While your cat might kind of give you a “Hey, what up” nod?
We hate to break it to you, but it’s because your dog really does love you more.
A new study analyzed saliva from dogs and cats after they played with their owners for 10 minutes. The researchers looked for how their levels of oxytocin changed, since that’s the hormone connected to love and bonding.
They found the oxytocin levels in dogs jumped 57.2 percent after some quality time with their owners — the levels in cats only jumped 12 percent.
So, your dog loves you approximately five times more than your cat.
The researchers say: “These dogs really care about their owners. It was also a nice surprise to discover that cats produce any [oxytocin] at all.”
