Dogs love us without reservation - this is visible and known, and it is clear from their great enthusiasm around us.
What is less clear is the meaning of the strange looks that cats give us.
Do they hate us?
Despise us?
Or just indifferent to our existence?
Far-fetched as it may sound, the best scientific minds have carried out several studies on the subject, and have concluded that the relationship between cats and people is more complex and depends on factors such as the cat's personality, early socialization and the emotional investment of the owner.
The studies found evidence that cats do form social bonds with their owners - but they are not as strong or simple as the bond that dogs form.
A 2015 study found that the "love hormone", oxytocin, increased in both sexes during petting, but in cats the increase was much more moderate.
However, a 2021 survey of nearly 4,000 cat owners identified five types of cat-human relationships: open relationship, distant relationship, non-committal relationship, interdependence, and companionship.
About half of the cats were found to be emotionally invested in their owners to one degree or another.
The strength of the bond seems to rely heavily on the cat owner's willingness to understand subtle cues of feline communication and allow the animal independence.
Cats are attracted to owners who let them control interactions and petting.
They don't like forced attention.
Early socialization also plays a key role: kittens who receive positive human contact from a young age tend to be more social cats.
Bottom line, there is no doubt that cats are less emotionally invested in the people around them than dogs - but they are capable of developing relationships with humans, at least as long as the humans respect their independence.
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