Are you a cat person or a dog person? Which type of pet you pledge your allegiance to may influence where you decide to live, according to a new realtor.com® analysis. Some cities tend to be more welcoming to canines while others favor felines, realtor.com® researchers found. “The West Coast is far more climatically friendly to dogs, especially if you like going to dog parks and schmoozing with other owners every weekend—even in the winter,” says Marc Morrone, host of “Petkeeping with Marc Morrone.” “The East Coast is freezing in the winter, and a lot of dogs don’t like to go outside in the cold city streets.”

To test cities’ love for pets, realtor.com®’s research team analyzed data covering the 150 largest metros, including criteria such as the percentage of single-family homes on realtor.com® with dog-related versus cat-related features (such as doggie doors and catios); pet services per capita; number of dog walkers and veterinarians; Google searches for “cats” and “dogs”; state dog and cat ownership rates; and percentage of realtor.com® rental listings that allow cats or dogs.

The following are the top seven cities for cat lovers, according to the analysis:

1. Albany, N.Y.
2. Eugene, Ore.
3. Seattle
4. Portland, Maine
5. Manchester, N.H.
6. Oklahoma City
7. Stockton, Calif.

On the other hand, these cities go to the dogs. Here are the seven top cities for dog lovers:

1. Austin, Texas
2. Reno, Nev.
3. Salinas, Calif.
4. Denver
5. Portland, Ore.
6. Seattle
7. Oklahoma City

Source: “Let the Fur Fly: What Are the Best Cities for Dog Lovers and Cat Lovers?” realtor.com® (Oct. 9, 2017)

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