There’s more than meets the eye to the personalities of our feline friends.
Cats, more so than dogs, are often considered by many as having more mysterious behavioral patterns and being less emotionally expressive. But a new study from the University of Helsinki has deciphered the enigmatic patterns of domestic cats, finding seven distinct personality and behavioral traits.
The researchers studied the behaviors of over 4,300 different cats, spanning 26 different breeds, and found the following traits, which the cats display regularly.
– Activity/playfulness
– Fearfulness
– Aggression towards humans
– Sociability towards humans
– Sociability towards cats
– Litterbox issues
– Excessive grooming
Identifying these traits is especially important, as, despite the popularity of cats as pets, their behavioral and personality traits are far less understood compared to dogs. This can be important, as it can make identifying problems a lot more difficult.
“Compared to dogs, less is known about the behavior and personality of cats, and there is demand for identifying related problems and risk factors. We need more understanding and tools to weed out problematic behavior and improve cat welfare,” University of Helsinki and the Folkhälsan Research Center doctoral researcher Salla Mikkola said in a statement.
Read more: jpost
