The
first empirical study on the connection between cats and their caregivers
refutes felines' chilly image.
New
research examines how cats form attachments.
While
the attachment that dogs form to their owners is obvious, the same is not
always true of cats. Indeed, cats have a reputation for being independent, even
indifferent, and people have long debated the extent to which they ever truly
bond with their caregivers.
A
new study by researchers at Oregon State University's Human-Animal Interaction Lab, which
appears in Current Biology,
represents the first empirical investigation into this issue.
Its conclusion may surprise some people: Cats bond
with their caregivers to a similar degree as infants and, yes, dogs.
"Cats that are insecure can be likely to run and hide
or seem to act aloof. There's long been a biased way of thinking that all cats
behave this way. But the majority of cats use their owner as a source of
security. Your cat is depending on you to feel secure when they are stressed
out."
Lead author Kristyn Vitale
Experiments reveal the strength of the bond
In
the study, the team employed an abbreviated feline version of the "secure
base test" that researchers have previously used to assess attachment
in dogs and
infants.
At
the start of the experiment, a cat and its caregiver spend 2 minutes together
in an unfamiliar environment. The human then leaves, and the cat remains alone
in the room for 2 more minutes.
In
the final stage, the caregiver returns for a 2-minute reunion period. The
researchers determine the bond between feline and human by looking at the cat's
behavior after the human returns. This behavior typically falls into one of two
categories:
·
Secure
attachment: These cats continued to
explore the strange environment calmly upon the return of their caregivers.
They showed the least amount of stress, as exploring is a
natural cat behavior.
·
Insecure
attachment: These cats showed their anxiety in
several ways. Some twitched their tails and licked their lips. Others
communicated stress either by demonstrating avoidance of their caregiver or by
expressing ambivalence — jumping into their caregiver's lap and then remaining
absolutely still.
The
study looked at two feline age groups to assess the degree to which attachment
is a juvenile trait. In total, they witnessed classifiable behavior in 70
kittens and 38 cats over the age of 1 year.
Overall, 64.3% of the kittens proved securely
attached to their caregivers, while 35.7% had an insecure bond with them. Among
the older cats, 65.8% demonstrated secure attachment, while 34.2% were in the
insecure category.
The
researchers also wanted to see whether socialization had a measurable effect on
these percentages. Re-testing after a 6-week training course showed that it did
not.
As
the percentages were so similar across the two age groups, it appears that
attachment is a phenomenon as typical to adult cats as it is to kittens.
"Once
an attachment style has been established between the cat and its
caregiver," says Vitale, "it appears to remain relatively stable over
time, even after a training and socialization intervention."
Cats are not so different after all
Cat
aficionados may be surprised that felines bond with their caregivers to such a
similar extent as babies and dogs.
The
study authors note that according to previous research, 65% of human infants
form secure attachments, while 35% develop insecure bonds. In dogs, 58% of
attachments are secure, and 42% are insecure.
Felines,
as different from us — and dogs — as they may be, still benefit from a sense of
security. "Attachment is a biologically relevant behavior," says
Vitale. "Our study indicates that when cats live in a state of dependency
with a human, that attachment behavior is flexible and the majority of cats use
humans as a source of comfort."
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