A US study has found that those who never set foot in
a place of worship own two pets on average,while faithful
worshippers have 1.4
Church-goers are less likely to own a cat than atheists-
partly because some of the latter see cats as a
"God substitute",according to research.
It also noted a "strong, negative association between worship
attendance and cat ownership",adding that "frequent worship
attendees and the most Conservative evangelicals report
owning fewer pets".
Professor Samuel Perry,from the University of Oklahoma,said
cats could be seen as a "God substitute".
"They want to interact with you but it's always on their terms
and it's always about them,"he said.
"We always want to win their affections and it bothers us
when we think they might be displeased with us.
