A recent study has shown that many cats enjoy playing fetch just as much as dogs do. This is the first survey of its kind, involving 1000 cat owners, which has discovered novel insights into the playful habits of felines. The researchers from Sussex and Northumbria universities suggest that cat owners should keep an open mind regarding the types of stimulation their pets might respond to.
The study, published in the science journal Nature, suggests that many cats instinctively like to play. Accordingly, it is recommended for owners to consider the types of activities they could do to promote physical and mental stimulation for their cats. The survey indicated that cats do not generally require training to initiate a game of fetch, but prefer to remain in control of the game.
Jemma Forman, one of the researchers involved in the study, recommends that owners should be receptive to the needs of their cats by responding to their play preferences. She emphasizes that not all cats will want to play fetch, but if they do, it is likely that they will have their own unique approach to the activity. Furthermore, the findings suggest that cats tend to be happier when they perceive that they have a sense of control over the game.
The study consisted of 924 owners of 1,154 cats, both mixed-breed and purebred, who play fetch. The researchers found that a vast majority of cats (94.4%) showed an innate ability to play fetch from a young age, whether it was for toys or household items. Notably, Siamese cats were the most reported purebreds that play fetch (22.5%), followed by Bengal (10%) and Ragdoll (7.5%). Study co-author Dr Elizabeth Renner stressed that the findings demonstrate how much the behaviour is led by cats themselves, as the vast majority of owners surveyed had not explicitly trained their cats to fetch
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