Researchers dispelled the myth about the selfishness of cats, proving that these animals prefer communicating with people receiving food and other activities.
Scientists have studied the preferences of cats in four categories: human contact, food, toys, and the perception of odors. In the experiment participated as domestic cats, and animals from shelters.
Animals were gradually deprived of one of the above incentives, and then offered cats a choice of a toy, a bowl of food, go into the room with a pleasant odor or a room with people. In the experiment, the researchers found that the priority for most cats is not the food, which was in second place in the ranking of preferences, and the interaction with the person.
More than half of the animals a few hours, not fed, when you see the bowl of food was chosen by communicating with people. This is true even of cats from a shelter, which is not tightly in contact with people.
“We found that 50 percent of cats prefer the interaction with a social stimulus, even if they had a straight choice between human contact and stimuli of the other three categories” — says the publication.
The study refutes the widespread myth that cats are selfish and indifferent towards human animals. Scientists believe that cats need interaction with people, regardless of how closely and regularly they are in contact with them before.
© 2017, paradox. All rights reserved.