Cats are usually stereotyped as being aloof creatures. However, that generalization has been demonstrated to be far from the truth. Some years ago, a scientific study revealed that cats actually enjoy social interaction, and additional findings reported that felines care more about us than we may think. In the September 23rd, 2019 issue of the Current Biology journal, the article “Attachment Bonds Between Domestic Cats and Humans” shares that cats are just as strongly bonded to us like dogs or even babies are.
Animal behavior scientist Dr. Kristyn Vitale, together with her team at Oregon State University, conducted this study. They performed a test that observes bonding behavior, which is the same that has been used on canines and babies. For the experiment, scientists had the cats (79 kittens with 38 adults) and their caregivers enter a new environment. After some minutes in the unfamiliar room, the humans left—which is a potentially stressful situation for the animal. After they returned two minutes later, the researchers watched how the cats acted when their caregivers came back. Cats with “secure attachment” greeted their owners and returned to exploring. In doing so, it meant the kitties viewed their humans as their safe spot that they could come to in an unfamiliar situation.
About two-thirds of the cats (65.8 percent) and kittens (64.3 percent) in the study greeted their humans when they came back to the room, which means they have a secure bond with their caregiver. How does this stack up to dogs and infants? A 2018 study on canines demonstrated 61 percent secure bonding, and infants have a 65 percent rate. So, next time you think your cat does not care about you, think again.
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