IN THE MEWS
LIVERPOOL, UK. Ever noticed that dog owners and their pets look alike? (It’s the stuff of nightmares, isn’t it?) Well a recently study published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, found a correlation between cats’ personalities and their humans’.
Researchers asked 126 humans to score their own personality traits as well as the questions about Fluffy’s temperament. (I’m somewhat offended that they didn’t quiz the kitties themselves.) The questionnaire asked about three of the human’s Big Five traits (agreeableness, extraversion, neuroticism), dominance, impulsiveness, the Dark Triad (narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy). It also asked about human satisfaction with their feline housemate. The cat section assessed the Feline Five (agreeableness, dominance, extraversion, impulsiveness, neuroticism). Humans who showed to be highly dominant were more likely to live with dominant, impulsive, extroverted, and neurotic cats, while impulsive humans frequently saw their own impulsivity in their Fluffies.
Like Their Kitties
Cats described by humans as dominant, neurotic, and impulsive were more likely to live with humans who scored higher on the Dark Triad traits.
“Dominant cats are greedy, defiant, and aggressive and bullying towards people/other cats, which could be attractive to potential owners who have similar tendencies in their own social interactions,” the study suggested. “Impulsive cats are excitable and erratic, which could be pleasing to impulsive owners.”
The researchers concluded that humans are drawn to cats who reflect their own personalities, or are more likely to keep a kitty who’s similar to them.
If this is true, why won’t my human go rat hunting with me?
You can read the study, “The purrfect match: The influence of personality on owner satisfaction with their domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus)” at
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328430244_The_purrfect_match_The_influence_of_personality_on_owner_satisfaction_with_their_domestic_cat_Felis_silvestris_catus
About the Author
JeffyJeffy BadBoy is a rescued kitten with a nose for news. His unique talent has qualified him to be the official journalist for Stupid Gravity Press. Follow Jeffy’s Daily Mews on Facebook and Instagram.
I guess if you go looking for a cat you might get these traits, most of my cats came to me, some are sort of like me, but most aren’t. Of course, when you have more than a couple of cats, you are likely to end up with more than a couple of purrsonalities.