Posted on 09/03/2015 1:03:32 PM PDT by dennisw
Dogs and children form a 'secure attachment' to their primary caregivers
Researchers wanted to discover if cats formed the same bond
They put cats in unusual situations with strangers and recorded reactions Study found that cats don't suffer from separation anxiety like dogs do - and their wailing may instead simply be a sign of frustration
Researchers have found that cats don't see their owners as a source of safety and security in the same way dogs do, making them more independent +3
Researchers have found that cats don't see their owners as a source of safety and security in the same way dogs do, making them more independent
Dogs are well known for being loyal and devoted companions, while their feline counterparts are typically aloof and detached.
Now researchers have discovered that this is because cats don't see their owners as a source of safety and security in the same way dogs do, making them much more independent and less reliant.
In particular, they found cats don't suffer from separation anxiety and any noise they make when their owner leaves is more likely to be out of boredom or frustration.
The study was led by Daniel Mills, Professor of Veterinary Behavioural Medicine at the University of Lincoln
He explained that while it is increasingly recognised cats are more social and more capable of shared relationships than previously thought, this latest research shows adult cats are more autonomous - even in their social relationships.
This means they don't necessarily depend on others to provide a sense of protection.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Dogs are pack animals, parrots are flock animals. Both can form strong bonds with their families. Cats, other than lions, are solitary hunters.
I am a long-time cat hater and this simply reinforces it.
Cats are evil.
My cat is slobbering on me now. When I’m away he mopes around according to Mrs. NHD. I have to admit, he’s an unusual cat. More dog-like than the dog.
....”adult cats are more autonomous”....
Thank God they are or I wouldn’t have a cat .....although when I have gone for two or three days he’s very clingy for a couple days after I return...so I can’t agree with the article.
I wouldn’t handle a dog very well...they slobber all over you...nip at your heels for attention....and simply require more time then I would care to give an animal.
I think you need to have all of your cats fixed. Males and females.
Even then I think you would somehow find more kittens in the pile.
The last 12 years of her life, my mom lived with us. That included her wonderful Maine Coon cat. Cat sat under my mom’s chair at the dining table, until she got the scraps off her plate. It was an every night ritual.
When mom passed away, cat continued to sit under mom’s chair, waiting for her treat. She also continued to sleep on the foot of her bed, where she always nested.
Two weeks later her cat died. Died under mom’s chair. I believe that the cat died of grief. So I don’t believe this article, at all.
Inexplicable bonds are formed with critters. Cats included.
Yeah....leave two Siamese cats alone for a few days and tell me what you hear when you come home. It will be an hour of non-stop wailing.
I believe our cat is attached to us as well. However, some cats are aloof little SOB's. I've had both good and bad. I think it's harder to find a good cat than a good dog (we have one cat and one dog). We had at at least one cat that didn't care if we came home or not. Maybe the study only included the aloof variety.
My husband bought my cat the wrong food. For 2 days she refused to eat and then tried to chew a hole in the tubing of my CPAP. Wondering if this was the first feline attempt at murder/suicide.
I had a favorite cat. He lived for about 13 years. One summer I left for a 2 month vacation. The day I returned and walked back into the house, he was so emotional, he threw up. True story. He was definitely happy to see me. Wish he had found a better way to express it. lol
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probably thankful it was going to finally get fed. jk
Cats actually form very strong bonds of affection _ they just refuse to show it most of the time. They are, after all, the superior life form on rock 3.
I had a neighbor who was an animal lover and he would shampoo his cats and baby them. They were the most loving cats I ever saw. I would take a walk at night and they all would come out to greet me and get in front of me so I would pet them. They would purr the minute I picked them up and they all would run for his car when he came home. One night I took a walk and a wild cat I had fed several times followed me down 3 different roads and back home again although I could never get near her. My own cat has food and water at all times but if I am sleeping and the cat wakes up before me, the cat starts meowing calling for me. I do feel they miss us and are glad to see us. Cats are independent but also very sociable.
Our cat greets us at the door, no matter how long we have been gone. He howls when my husband leaves to take his walk in the evening.
He came to live with us when our daughter married a man who is allergic. Now he ignores her when she is here. He acts like he has no idea who she is!
in the article it states that cats were “put with strangers”
Well of course they wouldn’t because they are not bonded together.
If you have cats they bond with humans and have their own little re-bonding rituals with their hooman everdaze!
I have 3 & they all remind me on different things,too.
If I go out they wait in the window for me to come home .
Going to the store & coming home they all want to know whats in the bags and like me pull out stuff so they can see it.I could go on & on.
And for out there with kittehs I found a new litter system called Tidy Cat Breeze Litter System. No more hauling urine soaked litter like Fresh Step or even hauling those heavy bags of litter from the store. My kittehs love the new litter system.
I had a girl cat named “Hiss” (imagine why?). She hated my son and would hiss at him but she loved me. I realized she always came into the bathroom when ever I used it. She seemed to be attracted to the ringing type sound resonating from the big white bowl. I then realized if I whistled in a high up and down note slowly she would come to see what was going on. From there she learned that when she heard that slow two tone whistle it meant “come here”, I want to: a) pet you, b) play with you, c) give you a kitty treats etc..
So I can honestly say I had a cat that came when I whistled... :-) And it worked EVERY TIME. Note: I was careful to never abuse that special gift. I loved that cat!
And... I had a boy cat that loved to play with a q-tip in the bath tub (empty tub of course). He’d toss it in the air with his paws or mouth and it would slide down the back side of the tub and he’d do it over and over. Until he got bored. The he’d chew the tips off and eat them. About the third time he got a UTI, I stopped the q-tip game.
My Dad once told me... “What good is a cat! It’s not like they roll over and let you scratch their belly.” Hey Dad!!! My boy cat loved rolling over to let me scratch his belly.
If you’ve ever been owned by a cat, you know the sound they make when they are getting ready to upchuck (at least its a warning). I’m asleep one night and I wake up to that sound close by and I look up and here is my other girl cat getting ready to heave. She’s on the headboard directly above my wife’s head and face and getting ready to blow chunks. I yelled at the cat loud enough to break her concentration and wake my wife at the same time. Of course my wife only sees the cat jump down from the headboard. After the skeptical look on my wife’s face I have to admit I thought I should have just let it happen. But then... dealing with the mess at 3am and a wife wondering why I wasn’t more shocked and surprised, I knew I did the right thing by altering the space time continuum.
Cats are different (like all animals that have a personality capable of love) they are wonderful pets.
After gnawing the last of the meat off of your corpse, that is!
My cats are anything but aloof and detached.
Cats miss me when I’m gone.
It isn’t like the can get at the treats by themselves.
The cat went downhill fast. A day or two later, when I got up, she was in great pain. I petted her, which was clearly some comfort, but I knew we were headed back to the vet.
I stepped into the next room to call the vet. The cat was mewling, then stopped. She was dead -- but unable to walk, she had dragged herself most of the way across the floor to follow me.
Yes, cats can bond to their people.
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