EIGHT out of 10 cats may prefer to eat a certain brand of cat food.

But it seems they're not the only fussy ones - the majority of women in Lancashire prefer their cats to their partners, a new study has found.

The poll, by posh cat food maker Olli, found 13 per cent of women in Lancashire would part with their partner for £5million, but only five per cent of cat owners would say adieu to their treasured pet for the same amount.

Maybe MP George Galloway had the right idea after all when he so memorably crouched on all fours, arched his back, and lapped milk from actress Rula Lenska's cupped hands in the Celebrity Big Brother house so memorably last year.

Half the women questioned said they'd be put off a potential partner if he didn't like cats.

And almost a third (29 per cent) of women considered their moggy "far more loyal, affectionate and trustworthy" than humans.

The research, carried out by Dr David Lewis on behalf of the cat food maker, also studied the physical responses of women cat owners to a variety of images, including their partner, their parents, their cat and pin-ups like Daniel Craig and George Clooney.

Using the "thunderbolt" test - which says the pupils should dilate and the heartbeat quicken when people see someone they love - they measured responses to a series of pictures.

The results revealed that while 57 per cent of women failed to show an increase in heart rate and pupil size when they eyed up a picture of their lover, 71 per cent showed the signals of love when shown a picture of their cat.

The widening of the pupils in constant light is called the "pupillary reflex", explained Dr David Lewis.

"It is the physical phenomenon behind love at first sight'.

"This study shows that the cats have got the cream when it comes to winning the hearts of their female owners, while partners and boyfriends may well be the runners-up in the love stakes in many households."

So what can men do to compete with their feline rivals?

Reasons women gave for loving their cat more than anybody else were that they felt their cats offered them the unconditional love they didn't get from anyone else, and that cats were more loyal, affectionate and trustworthy.

When it came to chilling out and talking over problems after a stressful day, nearly one in three women preferred talking to their cat more than anyone else.

So guys, if you want to impress, it looks like you're going to have to start mimicking our feline friends.