Do you know your pet's love language? A new survey reveals which one is the most popular.
The way to your pet's heart isn't always toys or treats.

Cats and dogs are both man's vest friend.
We know our pets love us. Eternally. Enthusiastically. Unconditionally. But how do they know we love us?
Since renowned marriage counselor Gary Chapman, Ph.D. first coined the term in 2007, people have used the five love languages to better understand the different ways they give and receive love—either through physical touch, gifts, words of affirmation, quality time, or acts of service.
While love languages were first created as a tool for romantic relationships, they have since taken on a life of their own, extending to singles, children…and now, animals, apparently.2,000 cat and dog owners were surveyed on behalf of Nulo pet food to find their furry friends preferred love language—and let’s just say it has nothing to do with giving gifts. Sorry, folks who love to dish out treats and toys.
That isn’t to say the way to a pet’s heart isn’t through their stomach. Pet parents reported being largely committed to offering high-quality meals (53%), with a focus on health and nutrition (47%), and incorporating diet variety (32%).
Quality time also ranked quite high at 27%. The next most popular pet love language is quality time which includes letting their four-legged friend sleep in their bed and bringing their pet along on trips. Although this last part has to be mostly coming from dog owners, right? Cause I know my cats would consider going on road trips with me as capital punishment.
They just wanna be with us all the time.
Canva
But, without question, the reigning love language was physical touch. A whopping 83% of pet owners felt that petting their fur babies was the most effective way to express love. Another 62% endorsed hugging, and 55% were fans of kissing.
On an intuitive level, it makes sense. After all, animals use tactile communication with each other, why wouldn’t they do so with their human friends? And what pet owner among us couldn’t say that the message is very clear when they sweetly rub up against your leg or nuzzle up next to you?
What probably isn’t surprising is that 95% of the pet owners surveyed reported believing that their pet knows how much they love them because of how serious they took showing affection. Hey, it’s a tough job, but somebody’s gotta cuddle that puppy.
Just give them all five love languages.
Canva
Although, I must say, I am surprised that words of affirmation didn’t seem to make the list. We’ve all seen how a dog’s face absolutely lights up when being told they're a good boy or girl, right? Cats seem to love it too.
Either way, it’s fun to see how, no matter what kind of creature you're tending to, we all just wanna make sure our four legged companions have every bit of joy in life that they naturally bestow into ours.
- Pet owners share the worst thing their pet has ever done, and some have been very, very bad ›
- Chocolate lab is not in the mood for pets and his reaction is leaving people in stitches ›
- 'Couple' was asked what they love about each other. Turns out they're siblings with a beautiful bond. ›
- Man says other men need to watch the pebble videos women send them - Upworthy ›
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."