We often underestimate the connection between cats and their owners. However, recently, there have been a lot of studies that seek to explore the connection between a cat’s personality and the temperament of the cat’s owner.
You will be surprised to know that these studies show a link between the personality traits of a pet owner and their cat’s personality. In this guide, we will talk about the details of this study, its results, and its limitations.
The Connection Between Cats and Their Owners
A cat’s personality has often been described as aloof, cold, and distant. However, nothing could be farther from the truth! Cats share a deep bond with their owners, and this bond is so deep that, at times, cats start to mimic the personality traits of their owners.
This happens because of the attachment that our feline friends share with their human owners, so much so that they mirror their traits in their everyday behavior.
A gray cat’s paw and its owner’s hand
A Recent Study
In 2019, a study was carried out by Finka et al. They recruited participants through various platforms and carried out certain personality trait tests on them. They measured how open, extroverted, conscientious, agreeable, and neurotic the cat owners were. Then, they asked the people to answer specific questions about their cat’s personality.
The researchers then tallied these results and drew comparisons between the personality of the owner and the cat. Surprisingly, they found a certain connection that positively showed an interconnection between the two. This is quite a surprising discovery since it seems to go against some of the basic stereotypes that we have developed regarding a cat’s personality.
How Does the Openness of a Cat Owner Affect the Cat’s Personality?
One of the first characteristics of cat owners compared with their cat’s personality was the openness they displayed. It was found that agreeable, happy, and friendly cats had owners who were more open and free in terms of their personality.
However, you will be surprised to know that open-natured cat owners are not very likely to allow their cats to roam around freely. This was somewhat of a strange result since you would expect that if a cat owner were easy-going and open, he would have no problem letting his cat roam around for free. Well, not!
A Bengal cat giving its owner a high five
Does the Weight of the Cat Show Its Owner’s Personality?
The Finka study has also shown when a cat owner is extroverted, the cat’s personality is more likely to be friendly. However, the cats of such owners also display physical characteristics due to the personality of their owners.
These cats are likely to have a normal weight, which is not surprising since extroverted cat owners are likely to go out more and take them out for walks. You will also be interested to know that extroverted cat owners also have fewer cats. This could be because such people are so social and outgoing that they do not have the time to care for multiple cats.
Does a Conscientious Cat Owner Have Any Effect on Their Feline Friend’s Personality?
A person with a conscience is a person who cares about other people’s feelings, can empathize with others, and is less likely to be hurtful and rude. We love these traits in humans, and you will be pleased to know that cats also mimic these traits of their cat owners.
This study showed that conscientious cat owners’ cats are likely to be friendly and agreeable. Moreover, these cats are also less anxious and stressed since their owners are more likely to care about their feelings.
A girl sitting and hugging her cat
Does an Agreeable Cat Owner Affect the Cat’s Personality?
Everyone likes an agreeable human being! This study showed that a cat’s personality showed various positive traits if its owner was agreeable. Such people also tended to be happier with their cats, which is not surprising given their easy-going nature! These cats tended to have normal, healthy weights and were less aggressive in general.
In addition to this, the cat’s personality in such cases tended to be less aloof. This means that the felines such people interacted well with human beings, were expressive, and did not behave distantly.
How Does Neuroticism Impact a Cat’s Personality?
Previous studies had shown that neurotic traits in a parent’s personality had a negative effect on their children. These results were somewhat replicated in this study, and neuroticism in cat owners was linked to some negative traits in the cat’s personality.
The cats of such owners tend to be more fearful and afraid. They also display signs of anxiety and have stress-related illnesses. Such owners also tend not to allow their cats to roam around freely, linked to overweight and unhealthy felines.
A tricolor kitten sitting on a windowsill
The Limitations of This Study
The study results we have discussed show how important it is for cats to live in an emotionally healthy household. This latest piece of research does show a very strong connection between a cat’s personality and the characteristics of the cat’s owner.
However, like any piece of research, this study also has its limitations. Its results should not be overly generalized. The biggest limitation of this particular study was that the owners themselves were asked to talk about their cat’s personality.
Since every person has their unique way of looking at an animal and interpreting its behavior, we cannot say that the reports of the owners were a 100% accurate description of their cat’s actual behavior.
Conclusion
We hope that our guide helped you understand the interrelation between a cat’s personality and its owner. Like human children, cats are also extremely impressionable animals, and the environment they live in can impact their behavior. This is why you should be mindful about how you behave around a cat and treat it with love and affection.
