Contributed to Town Cats by Erin McCluskey
- Your cat’s personality traits may be tied to their genes: According to a 2021 research paper published in the scientific journal Animals, one study found genetic variations in cats who were ranked by their owners as higher in “roughness” out of four personality categories: Openness, Friendliness, Roughness and Neuroticism.
- If you’re having a bad day, your cat is a good shoulder to cry on: Devoted dog lovers may tell you that cats aren’t capable of the same love and affection as their canine counterparts, but we say otherwise. Research has demonstrated that cats increase meowing and leg rubbing behavior when in close proximity to owners experiencing negative emotions.
• Your cat may interact with you for longer if you let them initiate first contact: Some research shows that interactions between cats and their owners last longer in duration when the cat is the one who initiates contact.
• Indoor cats tend to initiate human contact more often than outdoor cats: Inside-only cats may seek more interaction with you than your outdoor adventurer. Experts theorize this may be due to indoor environments often having less stimulation for pets than outdoor settings. This is why it’s important to provide your cat with plenty of enriching activities to keep them physically and mentally active.
• Comply with your cat, and they may be more likely to return the favor: Let’s face it; sometimes it feels like our cats are the ones training us. Thankfully, there may be a happy middle. One study demonstrated that when owners were more willing to comply with their cat’s attempts at interaction, the more likely cats were to comply the next time the owner was the one to request interaction.
• Cats seem to recognize their owner’s voice: Exactly what our cats are saying when they’re talking to us may still be somewhat of a mystery, but research indicates that cats do indeed know the difference between their owner’s voice and the voice of someone unfamiliar to them. Of course, whether or not they choose to respond to our call is a different story…
• Cats may know where you’re pointing: You might think that pointing and exclaiming, “Look, your toy is right there!” may have more success with your dog than your cat. But a 2019 study involving 41 cats found that feline companions had an over 70% success rate in following human gaze to successfully locate hidden cat treats. In fact, the researchers reported cats’ gaze-following skills on par with that of primates. - Cats respond to music: Vet visits can be stressful for humans and cats alike. However, findings from a 2019 study published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery revealed that playing cat-specific music during a vet visit may make physical exams less stressful for our feline friends. A musical composition that featured purring and suckling noises showed to reduce cat stress level scores more so than silence or classical music.
- Slow blinks may help establish trust between you and your new cat: In some animals, eye-narrowing behavior is thought to communicate positive emotions. Researchers from a 2020 study published in Scientific Reports found that cats tend to reciprocate eye-narrowing behavior from their owners. Interestingly, cats were also more likely to approach strangers who offered a slow blink over strangers who maintained a neutral facial expression.
• Different cat breeds exhibit different personality traits: In a 2021 study involving over 4,000 cats across more than 20 breeds, researchers from the University of Helsinki found that Bengal cats proved to be the most active breed, with Russian Blue cats scoring highest in the fear personality category. Oppositely, Persian and Exotic breeds were found to be the most passive, while the Abyssinian breed was the least fearful of them all.