Research from Oregon State says cats really do love their humans

(SEPTEMBER 26, 2019) A common belief about pets is that cats are detached, indifferent, aloof and stand-offish. In other words, they are independent and do not have the same kind of connection with humans as dogs do.

New research from the Oregon State University, however, suggests that cats really can have strong bonds with their human companions. The results of their study were published recently in a journal titled Current Biology.

“In both dogs and cats, attachment to humans may represent an adaptation of the offspring-caretaker bond,” says Kristyn Vitale. She is the lead author of the study. “Attachment is a biologically relevant behavior. Our study indicates that when cats live in a state of dependency with a human, that attachment behavior is flexible and the majority of cats use humans as a source of comfort.”

The researchers conducted an experiment. First, a cat and its owner were left alone in an unfamiliar room for two minutes. Then the owner left for two minutes. Then the owner returned for two minutes.

The researchers measured the actions of the cats when their owners returned. About 65% of the animals demonstrated less stress when their owners returned. The others showed high stress behaviors even after their owner returned. These results were similar to other studies using dogs and human babies.

"The majority of cats use their owner as a source of security," says Vitale. "Your cat is depending on you to feel secure when they are stressed out.”