How Did You Fall In Love With Your Cat?

A recent study by the ASPCA looked at how people pick a shelter pet. The Wall Street Journal reports that the research, conducted by the animal-advocacy organization from January through May of 2011, involved five shelters across the country. About 1,500 adopters filled out questionnaires explaining how they knew the cat or dog was “the one.”

According to the study, “physical appearance” is the top reason given for picking a dog. With cats, “behavior with people” was what convinced most adopte...