Časoris
Tudi mački, ne le psi, so navezani na svoje lastnike. Vir: Phhere
Tudi mački, ne le psi, so navezani na svoje lastnike. Vir: Pxhere

Cat attachment

Cats are considered more independent and less attached to humans than dogs. Is that really so?

A recently published study focused on cats and their attachment to their caregivers.

As it turns out, cats can grow accustomed to living alone, in a group or together with a human, as they grow up.

The researchers came to the conclusion by conducting a behavioral experiment. The kittens, aged from 3 to 8 months, were placed with their owners in rooms they weren’t familiar with.

Each pair of kittens and owners spent two minutes together there, then the owner left and the kitten was left alone.

After two minutes, the owner returned and researchers were able to observe the cat’s behavior when they were reunited.

Deklica in njena mucka. Vir: Wikimedia Commons/Javno dobro
Deklica in njena mucka. Vir: Wikimedia Commons/Javno dobro

There are several kinds of attachment.

In kittens, a distinction was made between secure and uncertain attachment.

Based on the search for physical contact, the stress of the owner leaving and the behaviour upon their return, the young kittens were divided into two groups.

More than half the cats showed secure attachment to their human owner.

This is a very similar number to that [found] for domestic dogs and humans.

The research thus disproved the general belief that cats are less attached to their human friends than dogs.

The behavior of cats therefore depends on their upbringing and experience from a young age and inherited traits.

Cloned dogs. Vir: Steve Jurvetson/Flickr/CC BY 2.0
Cloned dogs. Vir: Steve Jurvetson/Flickr/CC BY 2.0

But even more than kittens, people are attached to their pets.

Due to this strong attachment, companies in America and China have already developed the possibility of cloning animals after death.

They only need a few cells with DNA to artificially create a new animal. Since 2015, 40 dogs have been cloned in China, and this year the first cat was cloned.

Points to Consider

  1. How do pets show attachment to humans?
  2. How do you distinguish the clone from real animal?
  3. What is different and what is the same?

***

The original version of this article was published on October 3th.

English translation courtesy of JL FlannerTotal Slovenia News, an English language website with news from and about Slovenia.

Urša

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