Cats have a reputation for being aloof and independent. But a study of how domestic cats respond to their caregivers suggests that their social-cognitive skills and the depth of their human attachments have been underestimated. The findings show that, like children and dogs, pet cats form secure and insecure bonds with their human caregivers. The findings suggest that this binding capacity across species must be explained by traits not specific to dogs, the researchers say.
"Like dogs, cats show social flexibility with regard to their attachment to humans," the researcher said. “Most cats are securely attached to their owners and use them as a source of security in a new environment.”
A revealing way to study human attachment behavior is to observe a baby's response to being reunited with its caregiver after a brief absence in a new environment. When a caregiver returns, safe children quickly return to relaxed exploration, while insecure individuals engage in excessive clinging or avoidance behaviors.
Similar tests had been done before with primates and dogs, so the researchers decided to run the same test, only this time with cats.
During the test, an adult cat or kitten spent two minutes in a new room with their caretaker, followed by two minutes alone. Then they had a two minute reunion. The cats' reactions to meeting their owners were classified into attachment styles.
The results show that cats bond in a way that is surprisingly similar to infants. In humans, 65 percent of infants are securely attached to their caregiver.
"Domestic cats mirrored this very closely," the researcher says. In fact, they classified about 65 percent of both cats and kittens as securely attached to their humans.
The findings show that cats' human attachments are stable and present in adulthood.
