If you’ve ever been puzzled, annoyed or even amused by your cat, turns out you’ve really just been puzzled, annoyed or amused by yourself. New research conducted by the Nottingham Trent University and the University of Lincoln has discovered a link between the personalities of cat owners, and the behaviour of their pets.
The study surveyed more than 3000 cat owners in the UK. The researchers published their findings a journal called Plos One and explained that similar to the way a parent’s personality can affect the personality of a child, the personality of a cat owner influences the personality of their cat.
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In fact, the research went so far as saying that if you experience feelings of anxiety, depression, anger, loneliness and fear, then it’s more likely that your cat will have behavioural issues. The research discovered that cats owned by such individuals displayed more aggression, anxiety and stress-related sickness, and were more likely to have an ongoing medical condition or be overweight.
“Many owners consider their pets as a family member, forming close social bonds with them,” animal welfare researcher Lauren Finka from Nottingham Trent University explained to The Telegraph. “It’s therefore very possible that pets could be affected by the way we interact with and manage them, and that both these factors are in turn influenced by our personality differences.”
The researchers also found that extroverted cat owners were more likely to have an animal that enjoyed being outside, while people who had agreeable personalities had well-behaved felines, while happy-go-lucky cat owners were parents to feline friends that were healthier and better behaved.
Right, now to have that conversation with Snowball.
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