— By Dr. Perry Jameson
Over my lifetime I (Perry Jameson) have been fortunate enough to share my homes with 10 feline family members and each one of these cats had different personalities.
Big Winky liked to groom me and my dog, Flipper, the same way she would another cat. Inky is shy and would climb up into the bed springs to get away from everyone. Goldberg got grumpy for no apparent reason and would swat at me if I walked too close to the chair where he had chosen to nap. Mojo would follow me around the yard like a dog.
Each cat, I noticed, had his or her own distinct personality, but I never thought about it any deeper than that.
As veterinarians, we have little information about cat behavior in our homes. There are studies documenting how cats behave with each other in the wild and in catteries, but nothing describing their behaviors with people.
Researchers in South Australia and New Zealand recently published a study in the online journal PLOS One on Aug. 23 that helps fill in this gap regarding feline behavior.
Surveys were sent to cat owners where they were asked to assess 52 personality traits of their cats. Each trait was rated on a scale of 1-7 with 1 being “not at all” to 7 being “very much so.” Here are examples of how they worded the questions for three of the traits.
- Clumsy: Relatively awkward or uncoordinated during movements (e.g., when walking, climbing, or playing).
- Defiant: Assertive or difficult or challenges the usual dominance order with other cats or people in your household, even if there are unfavorable consequences for this cat.
- Gentle: Responds to others in an easy-going manner, which is not rough or threatening.
Surprisingly they were able to get information on the personalities of 2,802 cats. As with any study, the larger the number studied the more reliable the information.
Once they analyzed all of this data, they concluded there are five reliable factors that depict a domestic cat’s personality: Neuroticism, extraversion, dominance, impulsiveness and agreeableness. They appropriately dubbed these personality factors the Feline Five.
Cats with the neuroticism trait are insecure, anxious, fearful of people, suspicious and shy. My little black cat, Inky, who is often hidden, has many of these traits. The authors stated that these cats may benefit from additional hiding places around the home or access to quiet areas.
Cats in the extraversion group were described as smart, curious and inventive. These cats may benefit from additional stimulation and complex environmental enrichment to avoid boredom. Examples the authors gave were extra room to play, additional sensory items or toys and more social interactions with humans and/or other animals.
Dominant cats will bully and be aggressive toward other cats in the home, potentially causing stress, aggression or injury. This behavior is most likely manifested when there are multiple cats, so felines with this trait may do best in a single cat household.
Impulsive cats were described as erratic and reckless. This behavior was felt to be the result of a stressful environment. The negative impact of chronic stress on health and behavior make it important that the stress be identified and eliminated. Cats that were classified as less impulsive appear to be well adjusted to their environment and enjoy routine.
The study concluded that cats with high scores for agreeableness (friendly) were well-adjusted and "happy." These cats may even improve the attitude of other cats in the home. For obvious reasons, these are the cats with which most people would want to share their home. Poor socialization at an early age or underlying pain or illness would potentially make a cat less agreeable.
By matching a cat’s personality with a home, the chance of a successful adoption would increase.
There are many diseases that stress may worsened or may be the underlying cause. This is everything from behavior problems, inappropriate voiding, urinary bladder inflammation and inflammatory bowel disease.
This information excites me as a veterinarian as it may help me improve the quality of life for my feline patients.
