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.



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[Holifeno]

Summary of this video:
« Why aren’t cats like dogs? »
« Because they are cats »

[Clammychow]

People who think cats are mean are trying to apply dog behaviors to a completely different animal

[ianmacfarlane]

I think that anyone who has every actually owned a cat knows that they form attachments to people.

[ollielace]

as an autistic person, I relate SO MUCH to cats. People see us as aloof, antisocial, finicky, etc. But we exist on a huge spectrum of sociability, lovingness, and empathy, just like the cats.

[sdstewart]

When a cat shows you affection, you know that you *earned* that.

[soapy]

Cats aren’t mean, they are just practical beings who aren’t comfortable with a complete stranger suddenly wanting to touch their body.

[aliservan]

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

[vickyoli]

I grew up hating cats and being a dog person.
In my 20s I got my first kitten, and now I think: how come I spent all my childhood without the most amazing animal ever?! Cats are incredible affectionate, but they won’t have any issue letting you know if you suck as a person.

[MrPatrickDunn]

This is a very "Dog owner" way to think about cats. I've had friends come over and pet my cat like they would pet a dog and my friends wonder why my cat doesn't enjoy their presence. A lot of dog owners don't know how to treat or approach cats in order to gain their affection.

[하늘우유-rt]

I swear there’s that stigma on cats that every cat hates everything and are super aggressive. Every cat owner knows that their cat loves them.

[stopbus]

when a random cat is affectionate to u, u jus feel like "the chosen one" :)

[EWEINER]

It’s nice that they addressed that cats will have different personalities. My older cat is not a cuddly cat. Her owner was going to give her away because she wasn’t cuddly enough. I took her because you can’t just do that to an animal. It’s like trying to give away your own child because they didn’t turn out as smart or as generally happy as you would like. Each cat displays their affection in different ways as long as you take time to learn and give them their own space

[SkyBlueMistGhost]

It annoys me that people find the idea that cats like their owners so shocking

Obviously cats love their owners. That's plain as day to anyone who has ever had a cat. They're not demons, they're not mean, they're animals.

[daemia]

I find it mind blowing people still think cats don't like people.

[spinnetti]

They are more like people than Dogs and you have to earn their love like people. They are very expressive once you know what you are seeing.

[poledancer]

Cats will follow you around, try to get your attention, sit in your lap, cuddle with you when you sleep, play with you and can leave anytime they want to, but they chose to stay because they love you. They love people who show them respect and love. They aren't mean but they do hiss when they are frightened especially when confronted by a hostile stranger. The cats that don't like most people have usually been hurt by a mean human.

[blainejudd]

Of course she’s going to only experience aloof cats if she’s never had one of her own. A random cat isn’t going to treat you the same way as it’s owner

[Scarlettifity]

So basically, this study shows, how cats, like humans, have different social preferences and acts accordingly to attachments like how humans would. It's like as if cats know that they have boundaries to be respected, imagine that. *Stares at camera*

[whitemoonwolf]

"do cats like their people" she asks as mine tries to crawl up my chest for snuggle time. hard maybe

[Deactivatedsorry]

My cat just won’t leave me alone. Runs up to me, rubs against my face and even climbs on my back for rides! Other people say she’s horrible but she’s just trying to protect me and the other cats, they’re her family and she wants to keep them safe.
Truly a queen