Woman with Cat by Kees van Dongen
My cats have me wrapped around their finger--or, more appropriately, tail. Even when they misbehave I'm never upset with them for long. I'll soon be showering them with cuddles and they'll hesitantly accept them. This all got me wondering about the special bond between humans and their pets--and, more specifically, the bond between women and cats.
A study published in the journal Behavioural Processes in 2011 revealed that cats show favoritism to women than men. Cats more often displayed friendly and affectionate behavior towards women such as jumping in their laps. The author of the study, Manuela Wedl of the University of Vienna, told Discovery News that women's relationships with their cats was also "more intense."
The study looked at 41 cats and their owners and--not surprising to anyone who knows cats--showed that cats remember when they are treated kindly, and based on this, react accordingly to their owner's desire for affection. It's no wonder that since cats are good at remembering things, we get the cold shoulder from our feline friends when they're denied that pouch of tuna!
Does this mean women cater to cats' wishes more frequently than men do? Women are naturally maternal and nurturing, so maybe this is so. The study showed women and cats tend to be more in sync because women, unlike men, subconsciously pick up and give off subtle bonding signals. I wonder what my own frisky furbabies would have to say about that?
Sources:Discovery News, Pet MD and Time Healthland
