The controversy continues as to whether dogs or cats are the more lovable, therefore, better-loved species.  In North America, there are more pet cats than pet dogs, however, surveys indicate that the affection we have for our pet dogs is much stronger than what we have for our pet cats.  Although scientists have tried to find a reason for our stronger canine affection, some suggest it is simply a learned cultural attitude.  But a recent study suggests that our canine preference over felines may be “prewired” in children and our fondness for cats may be learned through experience
Research done at the Istituto Superiore de Sanita, in Rome, Italy, tried to identify the facial features in pets that were most appealing to toddlers and young children; focusing on whether baby-like facial features made the animals more attractive.  The infantile face characteristics, such as a flatter face, rounder head, larger eyes, high and protruding forehead, and less prominent or elongated nose, will change with age but it’s these features that make infants appear “cute” which brings out the nurturing and affectionate responses in adults.  Therefore, do these similar baby-like features make animals appear cuter and do young children respond to those cues?
In the research, the scientists tested 272 children between the ages 3 to 6 years.  A series of photographs of humans, dogs, cats, and even teddy bears, varying in terms of how baby-like their faces looked, were presented on a computer in pairs.  The children were asked to pick which one of each pair they liked best.  The pairing did not include just infantile versus adult looking dog but adult dog versus an adult cat, a teddy bear versus a dog, a human baby versus a kitten, etc.
The results revealed the fact that whenever a dog was paired with anything else, no matter how cute, the dog won out.  The children preferred dogs over cats in almost every comparison.  The researchers checked to see if the children were living with a dog or a cat in their home, thinking that the preference for a cat would be higher among those children who lived with a cat.  Not so, even among those children who lived with a cat, the preference for dogs was dominant.  In addition, the researchers discovered that, within the group of test subjects, the preference for the cat increased with age leading the researchers to believe that appreciation of cats probably needs time to develop.
The data seems to suggest that humans have a bias toward dogs which matures at a very early age.  As for appreciation for other less popular companion animals, the results indicate a learned appreciation developed through age and familiarity.