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Although cats have a reputation for being distant, a new study says that they bind humans a lot like dogs do.
Researchers at Oregon State University have discovered that cats – just like dogs and young children – can form secure or insecure links with their humans.
"Like dogs, cats are showing social flexibility with respect to their relationships with humans," said Kristyn Vitale, author and researcher at Oregon State University's animal-human interaction lab, in a statement. "The majority of cats are firmly attached to their owner and use them as a source of safety in a new environment."
Vitale and her team wanted to study the level of attachment of cats to their owners. So they used a simple attachment test, which has already been done on dogs, with cats.
The first group of tests was conducted with the owners of nearly 80 kittens, all under eight months old. They spent two minutes with their owners in an unknown room, then the owners left for two minutes, then the owners came back for another two minutes.
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Close up of a beautiful healthy cat.
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According to the theory of attachment, the different setting would make some cats stressed without the presence of their humans.
After being reunited with their owners, the scientists then observed the behavior of the cats after reviewing their owner. According to the study, about 65% of cats and kittens were securely linked to their owners.
The search for links has allowed researchers to hope how many cats could be placed in homes in the future, especially given the number of cats and kittens in animal shelters.
The study, which would have been funded by a Nestlé Purina sponsorship for research on the welfare of cats, was published in the journal Cell Press.
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