We often hear that dogs are man’s best friend, unlike cats who are much more independent or even selfish. Studies are often published on the question and show that felines are also concerned by what is called the “theory of attachment”.
Some will tell you that cats can be more independent and less cuddly than dogs with their human friends. But it really depends on the cats! Some are real glue pots and spend their time purring. Cats are very sensitive to people around them.
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In the journal Current Biology of September 23, 2019, researchers from Oregon State University in the United States published a very interesting study on the subject. This research shows that cats become attached to humans, as do dogs but also babies. They also seem to be susceptible to what is called “attachment theory”.
They need to develop an attachment relationship with at least one person, who takes care of them on a daily basis, in a coherent way in order to grow properly and have social and emotional development. normal.
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To achieve this result, the scientists brought together 70 kittens and their owners. They had an exercise each of the pairs was placed in a room where his ‘master’ stood in a delimited circle, in which the kitten had to enter in order to be able to interact with him. The master thus remained two minutes with his animal, then left the room for two minutes before coming back.
64% of animals seem less stressed when they are in the company of their owner than during their time apart. When they find each other, their balance is much better.Also, the remaining 36% of the kittens showed “insecure attachment” and avoided contact. Ditto with the 38 adult cats with which the researchers repeated the experiment. And similar results were found for dogs and children.
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“Despite the small number of studies on the subject, our research suggests that we may be underestimating the social-cognitive abilities of cats” the researchers say. Researchers are clear: cats love their masters and become attached to them as a young child would! What do you think? Share this with your friend and discuss this together!