Surprise! Your Cat Probably Likes You More Than Food
huffingtonpost.com
Surprise! Your Cat Probably Likes You More Than Food
They like you more than you think.
Any cat owner who’s ever woken up to the not-so-soothing sound of endless meowing knows that cats love food. A lot.
But apparently ― and possibly contrary to common belief ― they actually prefer hanging out with you to getting down with a bowl of Meow Mix, according to a new study published in the journal Behavioural Processes.
The study found that when a mixed group of 50 shelter and house cats were deprived of human social interaction, food, toys and scents for a few hours, “social interaction with humans” was what they wanted most.
To quote Motherboard’s Jordan Pearson: “Let that sink in: more than food . I don’t like anybody more than food.”
For the study, researchers from Oregon State University set out to determine what motivates domestic cats, given the “common belief that cats are not especially sociable or trainable.” The cats were deprived for a few hours, then reintroduced to the above factors.
While the study revealed that “there was clear individual variability in cat preference,” Newsweek reports that human interaction was preferred by 50 percent of the cats tested , “while only 37 percent chose food as their favorite stimuli.” The study found the preference was true both for pet cats and shelter cats.
These results are probably a shock to just about anyone who has ever owned a cat, and adds an entire new layer of guilt for the times we have to leave those purrfect little bundles of cuteness alone when we go to work.
Basically, your cat has been playing hard to get this whole time and everything we know is a lie. Now excuse us as we go find a cat to nuzzle with.
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Don't forget, for some cats you are food.
I was thinking the same thing Kavika.
Horrible men!
Oh and btw... more dogs have eaten their owners than cats.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/natashaumer/cats-eat-your-face-after-you-die?utm_term=.itA0R34jb#.xlAje5N1M
not out of the question
I think that were talking about real cats, you know...Big bad bastards.
Yes, I was thinking that myself. There are cats that like you........AS food.
Am I the only one here with a cat?
I had a cat for 17 years; loved him so much I'm not embarrassed to say I cried my eyes out when he died.
I know how that feels Buzz. Was he loving to you?
You cat probably loves you more than food.
Well, most cats. But not all:
That kitty is wilder than most-- because its a Bengal:
You can only get those 5 gens out from the African breed they come from. They are very cool
You can only get those 5 gens out from the African breed they come from. They are very cool
I believe I've read that they have to be at least three generations out for them to be OK as housecats (to get their extra "wildness" bred out of them). Or maybe even 4 generations?
Wally wants you to get to know him better:
Actually, my cat (technically my granddaughter's cat) loves me because of food. If I didn't give her food and cat treats, she wouldn't love me nearly as much.
OK.. to get back on topic..
I have had both cats and dogs. They relate to you differently. With dogs, they love you but you are the alpha. That is their natural state. With cats they love you, but it's more like how person relates to you.. on their terms. Wally waits for us to come home by the window where we park the car, and runs to the back door to meet us, and purrs like a machine. There is food in his dish, but he just wants us and he has a different relationship with each member of the family.
My beloved cat Bud, didn't even need us for food, since he could just get it himself. But he loved my girls so much when they were babies, that he would clean the hair on their heads. They were not feeding him. He just loved them. I miss him even today.
As most people here know I have two Shih-Tzus, Sally and Molly. They both sleep with me and nearly every morning I can hear and feel one or both of them sniffing around my nose and ears to either see if I am up or to try to wake me up. If I ignore them they usually leave me alone and I go back to sleep. However if I make the mistake of opening even one eye they attack! They lick me all over the face and eyes and ears, because they know that the first thing "Daddy" does after taking them into my wife's bedroom to say good morning to her, is to head out to the kitchen where they each get a third of a hot dog. This tradition started with them getting this treat AFTER going for a walk, but since it's too hot to take them for a walk a big part of the year here it somehow evolved into them just getting the treat just because.
When I do open both of my eyes in the morning they are both laying there, facing me, side by side, ready to pounce! I shudder to think of what would happen if I forgot to pick up hot dogs at the store. I think I would be the first human ever eaten by Shih-Tzus.
Do you eat the other third of the hot dog? (Sharing with your friends)
No, I put it back in the package and save it for the next day. It ended up being thirds because up until last July I had three Shih-Tzus, but then Harry passed away. I cried too.
There is no doubt of the depth of the bond that can form between an animal and a human.
I can still look across the room from where I sit right now and see his urn sitting on his favorite sweater, with his favorite toy against it, a cast of one of his front paws and a clipping of his fur. I still feel him.
I love that video!!! Just too cute.
Hey Pat.. what about you handsome guy?
Here he is, handsome devil !
He is one good looking guy!
Thanks! Yes I am...oh...uh...damn...never mind...