It's common knowledge that dogs are more affectionate with their humans than cats are, but does that mean that dogs like us more than cats do? Not necessarily. There have been plenty of studies on dogs and their relationships with people, but not so much about cats. Cats seem aloof, and lack both the enthusiasm and the facial expressions of dogs, which leads to the assumption that they don't feel attachment. Few studies have looked at actual cat behavior without expecting it to resemble that of dogs or humans. A new experiment by an Oregon State University research team led by Kristyn Vitale shows that cats bond with their owners just as much as dogs do!
“The majority of cats are securely attached to their owner and use them as a source of security,” said Vitale.
For those wondering just how to tell if their specific cat does indeed like them, Vitale said, there are probably some strong signals to look out for, though they won’t be the same between any two cats.
“Individual cats may show they ‘like’ their owner in various ways. More social cats will show affection by rubbing on their owners or sitting on their lap while more independent cats may show their affection by just being in the same room with their owner. There is a lot of variation in how cats display social behavior toward people,” she said.
I've always thought that you cannot judge a cat's feelings, or even behavior, unless you know that particular cat well. Read about the experiment and its conclusions at Gizmodo.
(Image credit: Flickr user Simon_sees)