Cats Adopt Human Habits

This article in Discovery News is a few months old but made me sit back and think about the habits I have that my cats also seem to have. I can validate that one of my cats has a habit of walking into the litter box when I’m in the bathroom, regardless if I’m brushing my teeth or putting away towels. The article discusses some new research into how cats adjust and live with us, sometimes taking on our routines.

In a study with two groups, cats that were primarily indoor reflected the awake and sleep patterns of their owners, ate when their owners did, and seemed to alter their own natural nocturnal cycle to their owner’s cycle instead. The other group, a group that had cats that were indoor/outdoor showed that the cats had a bit more autonomy. This matches the behavior of cats that are a little more independent and as the article noted, matched the behaviors of semi-dependent cats with more of a feral way.

The article goes onto speculate about the personality traits of cats and how they may match their owners in terms of shyness, trust, calmness, and timidity. Overall, a quick and fascinating read for anyone who has cats and wonders why or how they just “know” it’s time to get up, time to “make coffee,” and react to friends and family who visit.

To read the article, visit the Discovery News page.

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