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Researcher Explains Why Cats May Like Their Owners as Much as Dogs | WIRED

Cats are famously temperamental and are generally considered to be less loyal and social than dogs. But recent research suggests that cats actually have similar levels of attachment to their human caregivers as dogs and infants. WIRED’s Arielle Pardes spoke with Kristyn Vitale from Oregon State University’s Human-Animal Interaction Lab to find out more. Read…

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Cats are famously temperamental and are generally considered to be less loyal and social than dogs. But recent research suggests that cats actually have similar levels of attachment to their human caregivers as dogs and infants. WIRED’s Arielle Pardes spoke with Kristyn Vitale from Oregon State University’s Human-Animal Interaction Lab to find out more.

Read Kristyn Vitale’s study, “Attachment bonds between domestic cats and humans” here:

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Researcher Explains Why Cats May Like Their Owners as Much as Dogs | WIRED

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25 Comments

25 Comments

  1. Chojin613

    October 22, 2019 at 10:53 pm

    The worst part about this video isn’t a dog person characterising a cat as mean, it’s the fact that an animal behaviourist is asking questions that anyone that owns a cat could answer. With so many cat owners saying pretty much the exact same thing, these tests they’re performing are the very definition of an exercise in futility. Concentrate your efforts elsewhere, the ignorance astounds me

  2. TropicalPriest

    October 22, 2019 at 10:53 pm

    Wait you mean if I feed and care for a sentient being it will create a pair-bond with me? CAN YOU IMAGINE?!

  3. Jade Lorentz

    October 22, 2019 at 11:59 pm

    my cats are deffintly attached to me I cant even take a shower without them hoolering at me outside the door, trying to tell me to get out

  4. Jordan Sullivan

    October 23, 2019 at 12:07 am

    oh god I had never seen that live-action CGI Cats and I am forever changed.

  5. Robert Dougherty

    October 23, 2019 at 12:16 am

    Cats.
    Are.
    Not.
    Dogs.

  6. Dylana Dillon

    October 23, 2019 at 12:19 am

    DUH

  7. Nexus J

    October 23, 2019 at 1:02 am

    Cats are the perfect pets for females because they have the same personalities!

  8. Tyrian

    October 23, 2019 at 1:14 am

    7:12 Is that Zelda??

  9. Stephan Svanz

    October 23, 2019 at 1:15 am

    No research needed. Just care for a cat and he’ll care for you.

  10. guguigugu

    October 23, 2019 at 1:46 am

    the idea that cats dont like anyone is nothing more than an internet meme and i dont understand how it managed to gain so much traction with the public

  11. Melody Gurman

    October 23, 2019 at 1:53 am

    dog owners expect every pet to be like a dog
    cat owners understand every pet is unique

  12. NZMunchie

    October 23, 2019 at 3:35 am

    My cats will fluff out their tail and make it quiver every time they see me, they also do the face into my chest/neck area when its snuggle time and will cry if they can’t get into the same room as me. Of course cats love their owners but like any pet, they have individual personalities.

  13. Rotormatic

    October 23, 2019 at 3:52 am

    When they brought the person back into the room, they could have used a stranger instead of the owner during one of the trials. Need to test that the cats aren’t comforted by _any_ human person re-entering the room. That is, cats are comforted only by the presence of a specific human — namely their owners — when the cats are placed in an unfamiliar brand new environment.

  14. Gewgulkan Suhckitt

    October 23, 2019 at 4:11 am

    As far as cats using owners for security, I have a story that supports this. I have an outdoor cat that was never fully tamed as he is the last survivor of a feral cat litter. At one time when younger he would tolerate being petted while eating but now he doesn’t allow anybody (including me) to get close to him. I am by far the human he tolerates best in the family. He hisses at me when I feed him. I believe this hissing is more out of fear than aggression.

    However, he comes relatively near me (maybe 10 feet) and meows piteously when he wants to be fed and will follow me about the yard sometimes, keeping a distance of maybe 30 feet or so. When a dog comes into the yard, he’ll come get me for – I assume for protection. My point is that even though he doesn’t seem to bear me much affection at all, he still uses me as a sort of security blanket.

    (We live in a rural area in case this sounds kind of strange to those used to living in cities or suburbs.)

  15. VerifiedNews

    October 23, 2019 at 4:45 am

    Trust = Love, Love = Trust. That’s all an animal knows…

  16. Orri Greaves

    October 23, 2019 at 6:30 am

    Cats tend to get overstimulated easily and if you don’t know cat behaviour you may not recognize them telling you they’ve had enough. It also depends on if they get enough exercise and mental stimulation, sometimes they may become overly playful and rough if they have pent up energy. Cats are the best.

  17. Peter Slavik

    October 23, 2019 at 7:04 am

    There is a huge amount of bias in this, how do you know the cat is not only acting like that to survive. It could see that situation like being trapped in a dang Saw movie and the human is the only other creature there and they must be trapped with them!

  18. bearhood2004

    October 23, 2019 at 7:13 am

    What a waste of research, waste of time, waste of funding, waste of youtube video! So this is the kind of funding university give to do research?? I twitch my tail too if i got one!

  19. autumn_daydream

    October 23, 2019 at 8:23 am

    Why is this even a thing? Do people really actually believe cats don’t love their owners?

  20. Christopher Bako

    October 23, 2019 at 9:32 am

    Wow…Amazing that this was an actual study.

  21. whanowa

    October 23, 2019 at 9:44 am

    Everytime people ask if I’m a cat person or a dog person, I’d say: _Why not both?!_

  22. Therese Von Todderud

    October 23, 2019 at 11:30 am

    My 20-year-old cat, Løllen, has separation anxiety. He does like my dad as well, but when I go downstairs to my apartment, he will start meowing in front of the door, and he basically forces my dad to let him into the hallway. He’ll then sit outside my door, meowing until I open the door. He’ll actually scream. It’s like “MEEEOOWW why u leave me???’ And when I open, I have to sit down with him on the couch until he’s had enough love. Then he’ll just sit there and stare at me. If I go to the bathroom, he’ll sit outside the door until I’m done. He also loves sleeping on my dirty laundry or jackets I’ve used or towels. If I let him sleep in the bed with me, he’s in heaven. A real cutie. I found him (a stray) as a kitten; I was 3 years old and carried him in my dress and told my parents: “We have a cat”, and he’s been around ever since that moment. I love him to death.

  23. Kelly McKinney

    October 23, 2019 at 12:57 pm

    Wait just a nano second. Do humans own cats?

  24. ali Servan

    October 23, 2019 at 1:23 pm

    Anyone who’s ever oned a cat knows they give a huge amount of love.

  25. GWizofKOz

    October 23, 2019 at 3:27 pm

    It’s always fun when researchers find out things to which just about every cat-familiar will say: “A-DUH!!!!”

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