trying to understand our cats is key to keeping them happy and healthy. but no matter how much we learn to read feline body language or try to interpret the sounds cats make, cats still remain a little mysterious. A study at the university of Edinburgh looked at both wild and domesticated cats to compare the cats’ personalities. The results may surprise you.
A comparison of the personalities of domestic cats and wild cats
The study included 25 Scottish wildcats from three zoos, 100 domestic cats from two shelters, 16 clouded leopards from two zoos, 17 snow leopards from three zoos, and 21 lions from 2 zoos. The cats were evaluated with a 45-item personality survey based on previous feline personality surveys and a human personality questionnaire.
The study then compared the personalities of domestic cats with the wild cats. It turned out that domestic cats have very similar personalities to lions, with their strongest traits being dominance, impulsivity, and neuroticism.
Neuroticism in domestic cats
When researches took a closer look at neuroticism in domestic cats, they found “the highest loadings on anxious, insecure, and tense, suspicious, and fearful of people”.
There are, of course, limitations to the study. Researchers rated the cats according to human personality traits, and while some of that may translate, cats are, of course, not small humans.
What does all of this mean for our house cats?
Researchers also only looked at cats in captivity, but I believe that’s actually why the study has important implications on how to make lives better for both domestic cats and cats in zoos. To me, it’s proof of just how important environmental enrichment is for cats both big and small.
Then again, neuroticism may explain a whole lot of feline behavior that we have no other explanation for.
Allegra and Ruby don’t have much use for this study. Allegra says she doesn’t need a study to know that Ruby thinks she’d like to rule the world. Ruby thinks Allegra is slightly neurotic because she tends to be a little anxious at times.
Do you think your cats are neurotic?
For more information about the study, pleas visit the Winn Feline foundation Blog.
Ingrid King
Table of Contents
A comparison of the personalities of domestic cats and wild cats
Neuroticism in domestic cats
What does all of this mean for our house cats?
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8 comments on Are Cats Neurotic?
car rob says:
December 25, 2021 at 9:29 pm
I have an adopted rescue male cat named Pedeo….He is 8 yrs.old. He is anything but neurotic. He is very Social. I adopted him at age 1 1/2 yrs.
I talk to him, and when I call him he comes running. He greets everyone at the door, smells everything, and snoops in the bags of technicians.
I have learned to discern his meows.- especially when hungry.
He is a bit bossy when hungry.
I live in a condo so he is an indoor cat…….but I take him for a walk in my hallway every evening. He is so disciplined. I use a walker and he walks right along with me, no leash.
You might say I love my Pedeo and he is a darling cat.
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Monica Ackerman says:
July 14, 2016 at 1:53 am
I really worried about uprooting my 2 cats who had lived in the same environment all their lives (9 and 10 years respectively) when it finally was time to move us into a smaller and better place. They screamed all the way in the backseat of my car, from one location to the other which I had to listen to for 1 hour and a half. By the time we got to the new place we were all exhausted. It took them all of three days to adapt to the new surroundings. I was greatly relieved and not a little surprised. You never know with cats, right?
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Ingrid says:
July 14, 2016 at 5:51 am
You are so right, Monica – you never know with cats. moving with cats is so stressful, I’m happy yours adapted relatively quickly.
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Heather says:
June 8, 2016 at 6:24 pm
-Domestic cats: Dominance, Impulsiveness, Neuroticism (anxiety, fear, moodiness, worry, envy, frustration, jealousy, and loneliness)
Wow, that does describe almost every cat I have ever known!
My cats are certainly all three, but not at the same time!
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Peyton says:
June 8, 2016 at 3:45 pm
I have five cats and I do find that two of them are neurotic. The other three seem to just chill.
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Janine says:
June 8, 2016 at 7:51 am
This was a very interesting post. I have one cat that seems a bit neurotic. The others, not so much.
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Margaret says:
June 8, 2016 at 3:23 am
Very interesting article; does anyone ever understand cats – we have four and they are all very different. one of our former cats was decidedly neurotic, and one of the current ones is slightly that way – cats hate change don’t they and anything changes in thnull