Forget animal attraction, pets are a non starter in the love stakes.

Not only would one in four men not date a woman who has two or more cats, but owning any pet, especially the more unusual varieties, can reduce your chance of finding love by as much as 40 per cent!

The survey by dating agency PARSNIP in conjunction with YouGov polled nearly 3,000 men who said they would completely avoid women who were "too obsessed by pets."

"It might be best to avoid making harsh statements about how your pet comes first, especially on the first few dates," advises Dr Victoria Lukats, a psychiatrist.

What's more Cupid has an even harder job with further statistics showing if push came to shove 25 per cent of singles would favour their pet over a new partner.

And 19-year-old Laura Cunningham, who shares her Rishton home with 12 animals, agrees a man should not try to push out her pets.

Her mini zoo' includes five cats, a German Shepherd dog, two chinchillas, a rat, a lizard, two snakes - one bower and one python - and a hedgehog named Edgar.

Laura, of Edward Street, says: "A man is not worth having if they are put off by something like pets. Everyone has at least one pet don't they? I've had animals for as long as I can remember. It's not fair to ask someone to give up their pets for a relationship.

"My animals are part of who I am and you shouldn't have to change who you are for anyone. But if I really liked the person I would try to compromise. Maybe my mum could look after say the cats if they were allergic to them. But I'm not sure. It's a difficult decision"

Laura's furry animals live in her dining room and the reptiles in her lounge, and now despite 47 per cent of men admitting to being put off by women who have spiders as pets, Laura says that is the very creature she wants to add to her collection.

Laura, who also works with animals at Aquamania, Blackburn, said despite currently being single, her pets have not really put men off in the past - some however have been a little surprised.

She added: "I have brought lads home before and they have been a little shocked when all these animals suddenly appear especially the more unusual ones - but they are wimps if they bother about my rat. Rats are great.

"My advice to single women who have pets is that a man cannot be very nice if he asks you to give up your animals."