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Another growing source of information is the media The reality is that Garfield's day has passed; today's celebrity cats are Internet stars. More than a third of survey respondents said they also get some information about cats from Internet videos or social media. More than half of cat owners polled said they talk about their cat(s) or share cat videos.

While cat owners, in particular, noted that cats are "intelligent," "loving," "cuddly" and "attractive," many survey respondents were quick to describe cats as "moody," "stubborn," "aloof" and "grouchy." No surprise, the survey showed that negative stereotypes also affect perceptions of cat owners and cat lovers. Most pervasive is the "cat lady." Nearly half (49 percent) of survey participants still buy into the idea that most cat lovers are female, often spinsters, and their homes are crawling with felines.

Clearly, that's untrue. According to the AVMA, most cats live with families (not single, elderly ladies) and while there are, on average, more cats than dogs per home, that average number is 2.1 cats per home, compared to 1.6 dogs. In truth, among bird owners, there are more birds per home, with a 2.3 average.

Things are looking up, as 61 percent of those surveyed indicate stereotypes about cat owners are not valid. In fact, at least among survey respondents, the majority (78 percent) would like to have a cat as a pet.

So, why aren't more cats adopted?

"We're working on that, but by showing that stereotypes aren't true; it's a good start," White says.

If you have at least one cat, demonstrate your cat pride with a selfie. When all is said and done, the best PR campaign for cats may be carried out by cats themselves, whether they're Internet celebrities or you own 4-legged pals.

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