Human-Cat Relationships: He Watches Us… and Imitates Us

  The reputation of cats as selfish, independent, and indifferent has just been debunked by a team from the University of Milan*. The behavior of domestic cats toward humans, in a social context, has been explored and reveals some surprises. About twenty cats and their owners were gathered in a room and presented with a potentially frightening object—in this case, an electric fan. After a period of exploring the room, some cats observed their owners dispensing a positive emotional message (calm facial expression, cheerful voice, approaching the fan), while others received a negative emotional message (worried facial expression, angry tone, fleeing from the fan). The objective of the study is to assess whether cats actually use the emotional information provided by their owners to guide their own behavior toward an unfamiliar object. In particular, the study assessed the presence of social referencing (glances directed toward the owner immediately before or after looking at the object) and behavioral responses based on the emotional message (positive versus negative) conveyed by the owner (vocal and facial). Ultimately, 79% of the cats did indeed seek a reference point by alternately looking at their owner and the unfamiliar object and, to some extent, modified their behavior toward the fan in response to the emotional message received. Humans thus appear to serve as a model for cats. These surprising results are then compared to social referencing in other species (dogs in particular) and linked to the social organization and history of cat domestication. Further studies are needed to refine and define how cats interpret human voice intonation, body language, and facial expressions. But one thing seems certain: humans can shape feline behavior by displaying positive emotions. Human–cat relationships will continue to surprise us.   * Animal Cognition, “Social Referencing and Cat–Human Communication,” January 9, 2015.