We hate to bring up controversial subjects here at Horihan Insurance, but we have got to address something.
Over the last few years, without many people noticing, apparently dogs have become more popular than cats on the internet!
Yup. Dogs are trending.
I know! We always thought it was cats. In general, internet searches for dog-related topics outnumber those about cats. Even though, according to the American Veterinary Medicine Association, cat ownership outnumbers dog ownership in American households by a margin of 6%.
One theory – likely perpetuated by “cat people” – to explain this phenomenon is that dogs are more needy and therefore dog owners have more questions to hit up Google with.
“Dog people” will tell you that the main reason they are “dog people” in the first place is because dogs are more loyal and caring. Not needy. Meanwhile, they say, cats are just plain apathetic to their owner’s existence altogether. And there is some truth to that. Dogs naturally tend to involve their owners in their lives more than your cat ever would. It is simply none of your business what Snuffy is doing behind that curtain, under the bed, or on top of the refrigerator.
And anyway, the above-mentioned theory of why dogs are searched online more doesn’t hold much water because the research shows that top cat-related questions searched are largely the same types of queries: Brands of toys appropriate for them, signs of illness to watch for, what to feed them…. “Why is Snuffy on top of the refrigerator?” That type of thing.
The funny thing about it though, is when it comes to famous cats and dogs on the internet – the ones who have gone viral – it seems the cats (“Grumpy Cat” being a prime example) are far more popular than their canine counterparts (see “Doge Dog”). In the case of those two, at the time of this writing, the margin was about 9,000,000 to 500,000.
Speaking of which, as you may be aware, customers of the big, famous corporate insurance agencies commonly report feeling “like just a number” in doing business with them. They only need you when they want to be fed. You know, like a cat.
If you want to look at this metaphor from another angle, you may just find that the difference between getting a quote from a large, online corporate agency and going to speak face to face with a real, living and breathing Horihan insurance specialist is like the difference between Googling your question about your pet and going to a veterinary specialist.
