Autonomous

If you are a cat owner, you might be disappointed by the results of a new study by the University of Lincoln. Researchers there have found that cats, unlike dogs, do not need humans to feel protected. Sarah Knapton brings us the report in The Telegraph. She hastens to add,

Before cat lovers start despairing about their aloof pets, however, animal behaviourists said they should take the finding as a compliment. If cats stay, it means they really want to be there.

...To find out if cats needed their owner to feel secure, the researchers observed how 20 cats reacted when they were placed in an unfamiliar environment together with their owner, with a stranger or on their own.

The study monitored the amount of contact sought by the cat, the level of passive behaviour, and signs of distress caused by the absence of the owner.

“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,” Prof Mills said.

“This vocalisation might simply be a sign of frustration or learnt response, since no other signs of attachment were reliably seen. For dogs, their owners often represent a specific safe haven; however it is clear domestic cats are much more autonomous when it comes to coping with unusual situations.”

Read more here.