Cats are notorious for being independent, proud and snobby animals that are difficult to 'tame' or be treated like a dog does. However, a recent study challenges this perception, revealing that cats like to play a game known in English as "Fetch" – the one in which the owner throws an item away and sends the animal to fetch it to them.
The study, conducted by Gemma Foreman, Elizabeth Renner and David Livens, included an in-depth survey of 924 cat owners raising a combined 1,154 cats, and found that, contrary to the belief that it is a 'dog' game, cats are not only able to learn it – they often initiate it themselves, even deciding when to stop it.
The findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, revealed that 59% of cats who participated in the game did so up to ten times a month, and 55% wanted to bring an object at least five times in the last game before the survey. 94% of owners reported that their cats started playing spontaneously, without any 'training'. This behaviour usually appeared when the cat was a kitten, indicating that it is an innate tendency.
The cats themselves often initiated and finished these games – in fact, they were the initiators most of the time – and demonstrated a level of independence and individual preference in choosing which objects they would chase and which they would avoid running. These findings suggest a significant level of autonomy and control exercised by cats during retrieval play.
While some cat lovers may argue that certain breeds are more prone to this behavior, the study found no significant difference between breeds – but of the 160 purebred cats surveyed, Siamese cats were the ones most prone to play, followed by Bengals and Ragdolls.
The most common items cats run to fetch are cat toys (40%), but cats have also shown an attraction to everyday household items like hair bands and bottle parts (perhaps because both of these items tend to have strong colors), as well as items thrown away by owners, such as crumpled paper.
The source of this behavior is unclear – in dogs it is believed to stem from selective breeding and social tendencies rooted in their wolf ancestors, but in the case of cats there is no clear evolutionary explanation for the development of this behavior. Unlike dogs, domestic cats are not animals that tend to live in a pack and engage in social activities.
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