Cats are nice and enjoy time with humans, study suggests
It can sometimes be hard to tell if a feline is a friend or foe. There is something about the way cats command themselves (maybe the thousands of years of being worshiped as gods) that can come off as aloof, or simply self important.
After all, how many videos are there online of a cat sitting on its owners computer keyboard daring them to move? For example, consider this clip below.
A new study by Oregon State University suggests there’s evidence that cats are indeed nice. Not only that, but they also enjoy human interaction and bonding.
The study had 50 cats from people’s homes and shelters deprived of food, interaction or any stimuli for a few hours. After time passed, researchers reintroduced the cats to one of four stimuli falling into the categories of human socialization, food, scent and toys.
If you’re a cat lover, you won’t be surprised that the cats preferred human interaction above all else, even before food, which came in as a close second preference. This demonstrates that when your cat is annoyingly lounging on your laptop, its only cause he or she just wants to hang out with you.
“Increasingly cat cognition research is providing evidence of their complex socio-cognitive and problem solving abilities,” the authors of the paper wrote. “Nonetheless, it is still common belief that cats are not especially sociable or trainable. This disconnect may be due, in part, to a lack of knowledge of what stimuli cats prefer, and thus may be most motivated to work for.”
The study titled Social interaction, food, scent or toys? A formal assessment of domestic pet and shelter cat (Felis silvestris catus) preferences was published in the March edition of Behavioural Processes.
