Survey on Pet 'Family Hierarchy' - Who do dogs and cats spoil themselves to, obey, and see as the master of the house? (Survey by Pet Insurance 'PS Insurance')

Pet Medical Support Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director and President: Akihito Yonemitsu), provider of the pet insurance 'PS Insurance', conducted a survey among 1,864 dog and cat owners aged 20 to 69 nationwide (392 valid responses) to investigate the reality of the 'family hierarchy' of dogs and cats. We will introduce the detailed results.

This survey targets the family members that dogs and cats interact with on a daily basis.

[Survey Overview]
Period: March 10, 2026 (1 day)
Target: Dog and cat owners aged 20 to 69 nationwide
Method: Internet research
Valid Responses: 392 (The survey targeted 1,864 people, and responses were obtained from 392 people, or 21.0%. Of these, 196 were dog owners and 196 were cat owners.)

*When quoting this aggregate data, please clearly state the source as "Pet Insurance 'PS Insurance Survey'".

[Survey Results: Reality regarding the family hierarchy of dogs and cats]

- Who they show affection to (spoil themselves to)
Dogs: 'The person they spend the most time with' (67.3%) was the most common. If you want your dog to show you affection, stay close and play with them first!
Cats: The trend is the same as dogs, but 'the person who easily meets their demands' (54.6%) also accounted for a high percentage. A glimpse into their calculative true feelings.

- Whose instructions they follow
Dogs: 'The person they spend the most time with' (65.3%) was the most common. 'The person who disciplines and gives instructions' (31.6%) also ranked high, showing that a firm attitude is getting through!
Cats: For cats too, 'the person they spend the most time with' (62.2%) was the most common, but 'the person who easily meets their demands' (52.6%) accounted for a high percentage for both who they show affection to and who they follow. Who exactly is the owner?

- Whose instructions they do not follow
Dogs: 'Uninvolved people' (33.7%) and 'None' (31.6%) ranked highest. Although it is hard to obey strangers, the results of daily discipline can be seen here!
Cats: While 'None' (33.7%) was the most common, 'Uninvolved people' (26.5%) and 'The person who disciplines and gives instructions' (14.3%) followed, showing that the trend varies depending on the person.

- Who they are cautious of
For both dogs and cats, 'None'—meaning they are not cautious of anyone—was the most common (Dogs: 37.2%, Cats: 37.8%).
Dogs: If they are cautious, it is of 'Uninvolved people' (31.1%). Daily interaction is the shortcut to getting them used to people.
Cats: Caution is concentrated on 'Children' (18.9%) and 'The person who disciplines and gives instructions' (17.3%). They seem to react sensitively to those who disrupt their pace.

- The person they think has the highest position
Dogs: 'The person they spend the most time with' (32.7%) topped the list. 'The person who disciplines and gives instructions' (25.5%) also ranked high, showing that the leader image reflected in the dog's eyes is quite easy to understand.
Cats: 'The person they spend the most time with' (30.1%) ranked first. However, there were also answers for 'The pet itself' (9.2%), suggesting that they consider themselves the master of the house.

*Because this aggregate data is rounded to the first decimal place, the total sum may not always be exactly 100%.
*For questions labeled "Multiple answers allowed" in the graph, the percentage for each choice is calculated with the number of respondents to the question as the denominator, so the total sum may exceed 100%.

## Who dogs and cats "show affection to"
### Dog owners' answers
'The time spent together