Some feline owners are no stranger to their furry companions’ snobby personality, but a new study has confirmed that yes, your cats might actually care that you exist.
Oregon State University conducted a new study that shows that cats can actually form bonds with their caretakers the same way dogs and babies do. Cats’ personality just shows they are more aloof.
The study, which was published in the scientific journal Current Biology, showed that researchers observed about 70 kittens between the ages of three and eight months. The cats were placed in a room with their owners for two minutes, and were separated for the same amount of time before being returned for a two-minute reunion.
From the observation, they found that 64% of kittens showed secure attachment to their owners.
The remaining 36 percent felines were categorized as ambivalent, avoidant, and disorganized, which meant yes, there are still some cats that don’t like to have anything to do with humans. The researchers also studied cats that were a year older and found similar findings.
“The characteristics of a secure cat, for example, [are] greeting their owner and then going back to what they were doing,” Kristyn Vale, lead study author, told NBC News. “That’s how a secure human also behaves.”
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