According to Science, Cats Are Not as Attached to Their Owners as We Think
The bond between humans and cats has been enduring for centuries. We share the same home, we sleep on the same couch. In fact, most of the time, we even consider them as part of our family. But do cats truly have an attachment to their owners? Researchers have sought to answer this intriguing question.
Experts assert that cats do not establish a "dependent bond" with their owners.
Researchers from Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary conducted experiments on 15 therapy cats and 13 domestic cats. Therapy cats, being accustomed to different environments, were considered easier to test under laboratory conditions. The cats were observed in the same room with their owners and strangers.
The results were published in the Applied Animal Behaviour Science journal. Therapy cats exhibited the same level of friendly behavior towards strangers, even when their owners left the room. Domestic cats, on the other hand, did not show a noticeable difference towards either their owners or strangers. The research team stated that no classic signs of 'attachment' towards their owners were detected in any of the cat groups.
According to the study's lead, Dr. Péter Pongrácz, cats establish a mutually beneficial, equal relationship with humans. It's pointed out that while dogs have become dependent on humans over the course of evolution, cats have maintained their hunter characteristics. Consequently, it's not deemed biologically necessary for them to form attachments to their owners based on a child-parent model.
The "stranger situation test" yielded different results in cats.
Researchers utilize the 'stranger situation test' method to determine whether animals are dependent on their owners. Criteria include staying close to the owner, showing anxiety when separated, and reacting to a stranger. Previous studies conducted on dogs have revealed a strong and asymmetrical bond.
However, the situation is not the same with cats. During the experiment, signs such as staying a meter away from their owners, turning to the owner when called with a toy, or showing noticeable anxiety during separation were not observed. Therapy cats maintained their friendly demeanor towards both their owners and strangers alike. Domestic cats, on the other hand, generally exhibited a low level of response.
According to experts, while cats may choose to live with humans, they do not necessarily need to develop a relationship based on dependency.
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