Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Cats are just as disloyal as we always suspected, study confirms

Cats are just as disloyal as we always suspected, study confirms

Cats don’t avoid people who upset their owners, proving they’re just as disloyal as we always suspected.

That comes from a new study that found cats – unlike dogs – won’t avoid people that upset their owners.

The new study will be a blow to fur-ious cat lovers across the country, as their feline friends appear to have lived up to their reputation of being aloof and uncaring.

But dog owners can rejoice that man’s best friend still has their back.

Having previously showed that dogs avoided a person who behaved negatively towards their owner, researchers in Japan tried the same experiment with cats to see how they reacted.

For the study, cats watched as their owner tried unsuccessfully to open a transparent container to take out an object, and the requested help from a person sitting nearby.

Some people helped the pet owner and others didn’t, before they all offered food to the animals.

It’s just as we always feared


In the dog experiment, most pooches preferred not to take food from people who didn’t help their owners.

But fickle cats weren’t phased and showed no preference between helpers and passive bystanders, eating food from whomever offered it.

The study’s lead author Hitomi Chijiiwa speculated that dogs might be more loyal because they have evolved through cooperating with humans, such as by hunting.

He wrote: ‘One possible reason for domestic cats showing no sign of a negativity bias might be that cooperation is not salient for this species.

‘Whereas dogs are known to cooperate with humans and conspecifics in a variety of real and experimental contexts, the same is not true of cats.

‘Domestic cats originated from a less gregarious ancestor than did dogs, and they have not been subjected to artificial selection for cooperative work with humans.

‘The capacity for group formation evolved with domestication, leading to the development of an interspecies social repertoire, including establishment of dominance hierarchies.

‘However, group hunting did not evolve in small cats, because the size of their typical prey items remained unchanged even as cat communities grew bigger.’

Don’t be fooled, cats will happily pal around with your enemies too


‘Thus, cats can be considered as at least potentially ‘social’ and flexible in terms of social structure, but without being ‘cooperative,’ except in the context of cooperative offspring-rearing by females.

‘The ability to evaluate others based on indirect experiences might be restricted to more cooperative species.

‘For example, given their cooperation in day-to-day activities including hunting and their ability to solve a cooperative rope-pulling task, lions might be expected to have this ability.’

The study was conducted by boffins from Kyoto University’s psychology department and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
EU Majority Demands Hungary Reverse Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws
Top Hotel Picks for 2025 Stays in Budapest Revealed
Iron Maiden Unveils 2025 Tour Setlist in Budapest
Chinese Film Week Opens in Budapest to Promote Cultural Exchange
Budapest Airport Launches Direct Flights to Shymkent
Von der Leyen Denies Urging EU Officials to Skip Budapest Pride
Alcaraz and Sinner Advance with Convincing Wins at Roland Garros
EU Ministers Lack Consensus on Sanctioning Hungary Over Rule of Law
EU Nations Urge Action Against Hungary's Pride Parade Ban
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
U.S. Considers Withdrawing Troops from Europe
Russia Deploys Motorbike Squads in Ukraine Conflict
Critics Accuse European Court of Human Rights of Overreach
Spain Proposes 100% Tax on Non-EU Holiday Home Purchases
German Intelligence Labels AfD as Far-Right Extremist
Geert Wilders Threatens Dutch Coalition Over Migration Policy
Hungary Faces Multiple Challenges Amid EU Tensions and Political Shifts
Denmark Increases Retirement Age to 70, Setting a European Precedent
Any trade deal with US must be based on respect not threats', says EU commissioner
UK Leads in Remote Work Adoption, Averaging 1.8 Days a Week
Thirteen Killed in Russian Attacks Across Ukraine
High-Profile Incidents and Political Developments Dominate Global News
Netanyahu Accuses Western Leaders of 'Emboldening Hamas'
Ukraine and Russia Conduct Largest Prisoner Exchange of the War
×