I know lots of people society would consider "intellectual/gifted." They are not any more likely to have a cat than a dog. In fact, many have both. So there.

I do not find any stereotypes to be true about cat owners versus dog owners. There are people who own dogs for various reasons, from the superficial to the sublime, from companionship to comfort to comic relief. Same is true of cat folks. The only difference is that I do not know anyone who owns a cat specifically as a working animal, unlike police dogs, guide dogs, herding/farm dogs, and dogs people have for home security/protection.

Where was the survey done, by whom, and of how many people? I am just curious.

I pose that bunnies are the pet of choice for intellectual/gifted people!