If your cat-(s) refuses to give you the affection you’d normally expect from a pet, take comfort in the fact that it’s not you – well, for the most part anyway. According to new research from animal behavior specialists at the University of Lincoln, published in PLOS ONE this week, domestic adult cats are generally found to be more independent and do not seem to look to their “human overloads” as their main source of security, they way dogs do.
A CAT-ASTROPHE: WHY WON’T YOU NOTICE ME KITTY?
In fact, since cats do not suffer from the separation anxiety, any noise your feline friend might make is more likely due to boredom or frustration, rather than anything else, according to Forex Report Daily. Researchers were able to come to this conclusion after adapting the Ainsworth Strange Situation Test (SST), a procedure developed by psychologist Mary Ainsworth to measure the level of attachment between a child and his or her caregiver.
To conduct the test, cats were placed into unfamiliar rooms with their owners and with strangers. When situated inside this unexpected environment, the animals were more vocal when their owners left; however, researchers “didn’t see any additional evidence to suggest that the bond between a cat and its owner is one of secure attachment,” stated co-author of the study, Daniel Mills.
“In strange situations, attached individuals seek to stay close to their carer, show signs of distress when they are separated and demonstrate pleasure when their attachment figure returns, but these trends weren’t apparent during our research.”
SO ARE DOGS BETTER THAN CATS? YOU HAVE CAT TO BE KITTEN ME…
This is not to say that cats are not attached to their owners, just that their relationships with humans do not seem to be based on the need for safety and security. This sense of “detachment” generally puts a lot of pet owners off. Yet, according to Forex Report Daily, their independence can also be regarded as the “highest of compliments.” After all, if cats don’t need humans, their choice to stay is based on the fact that they are affectionate towards their owners.
Dogs, by contrast, have historically relied on others to fulfill their basic needs. In the wild, for example, they can be found hunting in packs when stalking down prey. Furthermore, dogs have been domesticated (and in closer proximity to humans) for a much longer period of time, in comparison to cats.
Are you a cat person, dog person or robot person?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTuL0nLmBw8
Your Cat Is Just Independent But Loves You
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