Dogs love us five times more than cats do, because science

Score another point for team dog: In the eternal battle of canine versus feline for pet superiority, a new study shows that dogs are more loving–five times more than cats.

The new findings stem from a UK television show called Cats Vs. Dogs: Which is best?, where animal pros put the favoured household pets to the test. The premise is simple: Figure out which pet is better.

They’ve even brought in U.S. neuroscientist Dr Paul Zak to test whether both dogs and cats really “love” their owners, explains the Daily Mail.

The science comes in as Dr. Zak tested the saliva of dogs and cats for the presence of oxytocin, the “love hormone,” after those pets had interactions with their owners. And what did science say?

“[D]ogs showed an average increase in the hormone of 57.2 per cent, but cats just 12 per cent,” notes the Daily Mail. Zak remarks: “From this sample it’s true to say that these dogs love their owners five times more than the cats do.”

So there you go, dog parents: Your canine fur babies really, really, really love you. Sorry, cat parents.

The series also compares how smart the animals are, how trainable, and how well each species jumps, sees, smells, and hears.