I had to copy this one. It’s a study that was done in the UK.  Americans are even more nuts about their pets so it would be safe to say the stats about dating singles with pets in the article below would be much higher in the United States.

LOVE ME, LOVE MY PET. Heavy petting prevents singles from finding love
Nearly half of Britain singles now own a pet 6.1 million people
Singles spend £5.6 billion each year pampering their pets
Owning a pet can reduce your chances of finding love by as much as 40%
One in four men wouldnn’t date a woman with two or more cats
A third of women won’t date a man who shares his pillow with a pet
If push came to shove 25% of singles would choose their pet over a new partner
Nearly two thirds of singles say they really love their pet and think of him/her as a member of the family

According to new research from PARSHIP, the UK largest serious online dating service, more singles than ever before are turning to pets for companionship.

Nearly half (47%) of Britain 13 million singles now own a pet, spending an average of £928 and dedicating 21 days a year to their animal wellbeing and upkeep. However, PARSHIP advises that single pet-owners could be putting romance at serious risk: owning a pet could reduce your chances of finding love by as much as 40%.
Some of the factors that influenced other singles against dating a pet-owner:
Treating pets as children (12% of respondents)
Sharing your bed with your pet (33%)
Over-indulging your pooch with the latest designer accessories (40%)
Owning two cats or more (23%)s more, if push came to shove 25% of singles would favour their pet over a new partner.

The implications of this could be serious, considering Britains singles own 1.24 million cats, 1.18 million dogs, 624,000 fish, 436,800 hamsters, rats and gerbils, 187,200 birds, 124,000 horses, donkeys and pigs, 64,000 snakes, and 120,000 exotic animals as pets which includes spiders and insects. That’s a lot of two-, four-, six- and eight-legged creatures edging their way between Britain’s singles and their potential happiness with another human being.

The puss on the pillow reduces your chances of finding love by a third

In conjunction with YouGov, and covering 2,000 singles, PARSHIP conducted a wide-ranging study exploring singles relationships with their pets.
A third of singles say they wouldn’t date someone who shares their bed with their pet, (29% of men/36% of women)
23% are turned off by owners of two or more cats (26% of men/21% of women) and 22% are repelled by owners of snakes (18% of men/26% of women) and spiders 40% (33% of men/48% of women).
40% wouldn’t date people who overindulge their pets by spending £100 or more a week on animal upkeep (44% of men/37% of women),
Treating a pet as a member of your family will alienate you from 13% of men or 11% of women; on the other hand, NOT doing so will alienate you from 11% of men or 12% of women

The animal attraction

So whats driving this animal love affair? Nearly two thirds (58%) say they love their pet and think of him/her as a member of the family, compared to just 27% who love their pet as an animal, but not as a surrogate human. In fact, singles love their pets so much that in some instances they would put their pets feelings above their own.

Pets over partners

Sometimes they will even put their pets feelings above their lovers.
One quarter (25%) of men and women say that if their live-in partner developed an allergic reaction to their pet, under no circumstances would they put their boyfriend or girlfriend before the animal: Mr or Ms Right would just have to find somewhere else to live.
15% of men and 22% of women said they’d visit a top allergy specialist no matter what it cost in the hope of finding an effective treatment for the allergy 32% of men and 19% of women said theyd find a loving new home for the problem-causing pet.

Dr Victoria Lukats, psychiatrist and PARSHIP’s dating and relationship expert commented: “People invest a lot in their pets emotionally, but whilst some singles may see their pets as surrogate partners or children, this research shows that these people are in the small minority. Rather than the stereotype of a spinster with several cats, the reality is that many singles simply enjoy owning a pet but they would probably put their human relationships first.

“Provided the balance is there and pet owners don’t avoid socializing or dating and that they maintain a healthy attitude to their pet then it shouldn’t interfere with their love life. But perhaps single pet owners would be wise to take note of this research: if there’s seems to be potential for a long-term relationship developing then it might be best not to boast about how much you indulge your pet and avoid making harsh statements about how your pet comes first, especially on the first few dates.

Is it time to put the cat out?

25% of singles wouldn’t date someone with two or more cats. In most cases this is attributable to an allergy, with 26% of adults suffering from sneezes and discomfort when close to a feline. There are very few treatments available to counter the allergic reaction. However, there’s good news for the 40% of singles who wouldn’t date someone who owned a pet spider: Even a single session of real-life exposure based therapy can be effective for up to 90% of phobic individuals. (Ost, Brandberg and Alm, 1997, Ost, Salkovskis and Helstrom, 1991)), so you really could learn to love your partner s little (or not so little) eight-legged friend.