In the stereotypical cartoon, dogs chase cats. In reality, scientists at the University of Lincoln have discovered that cats tend to control a household of multiple pets, usually by bullying any dogs that might appear.

The study showed that almost 750 pet owners overwhelmingly believe cat is king. Dr Sophie Hall, co-author of the paper from the School of Life Sciences at the University of Lincoln, said: ‘On the face of it, these results suggest that the cat is the kingpin in a household with dogs. They are the princess and the dog is lower down in the hierarchy.’

To read more about how cats really control a household, click here.