CatSci Ep. 4: Adventuring With Your Cat

Some may believe that cats are not cut out to travel, go on hikes or camping trips, or join their owner out on a kayak. But new trends in cat ownership are proving quite the contrary. Join us for our next episode where we discuss what it means to be an adventure cat. If you enjoy the episode remember to subscribe to us on YouTube.

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CatSci Ep. 3: Cat Relationships, Human-Cat and Cat-Cat

Did you know that cats can lead rich social lives? Join us for our next episode where we discuss the social relationships cats have with people and other cats. If you enjoy the episode remember to subscribe to us on YouTube.

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CatSci Ep. 2: Everyday Enrichment, Spice Up Your Cat’s Life

Providing enrichment allows your cat to behave like a cat. Join us for our next episode where we discuss easy ways to provide enrichment to your cat in order to stimulate their mind and increase their wellbeing. If you enjoy the episode remember to subscribe to us on YouTube.

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Attachment bonds between domestic cats and humans

Our research on cat-human attachment bonds was recently published in Current Biology. We found that cats display distinct attachment styles toward their owners. These styles are the same styles that human infants and dogs display toward their caregivers. As seen in this video, secure cats use their owner as a source of security and comfort and are able to freely explore the room while the owner is present. Insecure cats do not use their owner as a secure base and instead either cling to their owner’s side or avoid the owner. Similar to findings with infants and dogs, the majority of kittens and cats (~65%) were securely attached to their caregiver. Half the kittens also participated in a 6-week training and socialization class, but cat attachment styles did not significantly change after the class. This indicates cat-human attachment may be relatively stable once established.

Vitale, K. R., Behnke, A. C., & Udell, M. A. R. (2019). Attachment bonds between domestic cats and humans. Current Biology29(18), R864–R865.  DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2019.08.036

 

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