We love cats. Well, most of us anyway. I suppose it makes sense that in some parts of the world, felines have become the preferred animal companion for most humans. After all, cats provide us with a never-ending source of heartwarming entertainment and companionship, even if they can indirectly jack up our brains. While most of us need our cats, the gut-wrenching fact of the matter is that they actually do not need us, as a behavior analysis out of the University of Lincoln in the U.K. has confirmed.
The behavior analysis concluded that cats, unlike certain quadrupedal drool-machines with unhealthy attachments to Frisbees, generally do not show signs of separation anxiety when their humans are nowhere to be found. Furthermore, the behavior analysis showed that cats do no rely upon humans for a sense of security, unlike other Milkbone-addicted pets.
Even though cats are increasingly recognized as being more social and capable of shared relationships than once thought, cats are still, by and large, autonomous creatures.
The behavior analysis was published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE and was led by Daniel Mills, Professor of Veterinary Behavioral Medicine at the University of Lincoln’s School of Life Sciences, and Alice Potter, who studied at Lincoln as a post-graduate student and currently works for the Companion Animals Science Group at the RSPCA.
The behavioral analysis used a carefully adapted Ainsworth Strange Situation Test (SST) to conduct the study. The SST has been widely used in examining the degree of “secure attachment” between young children and their pet dogs. The focus of the SST is to determine whether the pet views their carer as a source of safety and security in uncomfortable environments.
Of the behavioral analysis, Professor Mills said:
“Previous research has suggested that some cats show signs of separation anxiety when left alone by their owners, in the same way that dogs do, but the results of our study show that they are in fact much more independent than canine companions. It seems that what we interpret as separation anxiety might actually be signs of frustration.”
The behavior analysis observed the relationships between a number of cats and their owners. Researchers placed the cats in an unfamiliar environment with different subject variables: their owner, a stranger, and even alone. In each scenario of the behavior analysis, the cats were assessed in three different characteristics of attachment. Researchers noted the level of contact sought by the cats, the level of passive behavior exhibited by the cats, and any signs of distress caused by the absence of the owner.
Professor Mills said of the findings:
“Although our cats were more vocal when the owner rather than the stranger left them with the other individual, we didn’t see any additional evidence to suggest that the bond between a cat and its owner is one of secure attachment. This vocalization might simply be a sign of frustration or learned response, since no other signs of attachment were reliably seen. 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.”
But don’t fret, cat lovers of the world, this actually isn’t a bad thing. Even though the findings in the behavior analysis suggest your cat is a fluffy mooch who is standoffish toward your attempts at making your cat feel safe and secure, animal behaviorists say that if your cat sticks around, it means they want to.
Even though your cat will likely never view you in the same way your emotive dog will, there is still something about cohabitation with you that they find beneficial.
