Introduction
A recent study of cat owners reveals that cats that play fetch do so on their own terms. It appears that cats playing fetch determine when to start and when to end the session, according to a survey of over 900 cat owners. The vast majority of cats in the study indicate that they acquired this behavior on their own, with no explicit training from humans. Scientists state that “in the end, I think cats are in control,” according to Gemma Foreman, an animal behaviorist at the University of Sussex in Brighton, England. The study adds a new dimension to scientists’ understanding of cat behavior, which has not been studied as extensively compared to dog behavior.
When do cats play fetch?
The study found that cats are the ones to decide when to start a fetch session and when to end it. Among the cats that participated in the study, their owners reported that more than 94 percent had not been trained to play fetch. The survey also revealed other details about cat behavior, such as the favorite objects for cats to play with (toys, crumpled paper, rubber bands, and other items) and the purebred cat that plays fetch most frequently (the Siamese).
Training cats to play fetch
Owners may be training their cats without realizing it, according to cat behavior expert Dennis Turner. Even tossing a toy at your feet rewards your cat with time and attention, reinforcing the fetch behavior. Turner says, “cats learn very quickly – if they want to.” Cats may also be training humans, as a cat owner may discover that their cat will only play with pom-pom balls of a certain size. Turner says, “I bought a bigger pom-pom, and she rejected it.” In the human-cat relationship, Turner states, “there’s a lot of learning that goes back and forth.”
Future research
The findings provide several opportunities for researchers to explore. One of the questions is the percentage of cats that play fetch. Another is whether fetch is a form of social interaction between humans and cats. Currently, researchers are gathering cat owners to conduct a new study that may help answer this question.
Respecting cats’ needs
Foreman emphasizes the importance of owners paying attention to their pets’ needs. “Cats are individuals and have very distinct personalities.” Cats may want to eat, play, or do something entirely different – like walking on your keyboard or sleeping on your face.
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Source: sciencenews.org
Source: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/cats-fetch-play
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