Cats Are Playing a Whole Lot More Fetch Than They Get Credit For

Fetching isn’t conscionable for slobbery canines, caller probe reveals. Surveying thousands of favored owners, scientists person recovered that a ample number of cats bash similar to play fetch astatine slightest immoderate of the time. That said, dogs are inactive overmuch much apt to spell and pursuit aft a artifact oregon stick.

Scientists astatine Purdue University conducted the research, hoping to quantify our pets’ aptitude for fetching. While dogs are considered prolific fetchers, determination hasn’t been overmuch probe connected however communal the behaviour genuinely is successful the canine world, according to the researchers. Similarly, portion caller probe has found that immoderate cats volition fetch to their heart’s content, it’s not wide however often this happens.

To amended recognize this phenomenon, the researchers analyzed information from 2 long-running probe projects involving feline and canine owners respectively: the Fe-BARQ and C-BARQ. As portion of these projects, owners are fixed extended surveys that delve into their pets’ behavior, including however they similar to play.

Based connected information from implicit 8,000 feline owners, the scientists recovered that astir 41% of cats exhibited classical fetching behavior. Some owners utilized the connection “fetch” straight to picture their cat’s playing benignant successful their responses, portion others alternatively remarked that their cats similar to “retrieve thrown objects oregon toys.” Dogs were inactive the champs astatine fetching, though. Based connected responses from 78,000 canine owners, the researchers recovered 78% of dogs would play fetch regularly.

“The information from these 2 surveys uncover that fetching behaviour whitethorn beryllium much communal successful cats than antecedently estimated and provides, to our knowledge, the archetypal estimation of fetching behaviour prevalence among dogs,” the researchers wrote successful their paper, published Wednesday successful the diary PLOS-One.

Professional non-fetcher, Cheddar ‘Chiz’ Cara. © Ed Cara

The researchers besides recovered plentifulness of similarities and differences betwixt fetching cats and dogs. Fetching tended to beryllium much communal among some cats and dogs if they were younger, male, and/or successful mostly bully health, for instance. But whereas fetching was associated with amended wide trainability successful dogs (the amended trained they could be, the much apt they fetched), cats were much apt to fetch if they were mostly much playful and active, arsenic good arsenic if they lived indoors.

Fetching was seen passim each feline and canine breeds, but immoderate stuck out. Burmese, Siamese, and Tonkinese cats were much communal fetchers, for instance, and the researchers enactment that these cats originate from populations taken to and isolated to eastbound Asia aboriginal connected during feline domestication, suggesting that their emotion of fetching whitethorn beryllium genetically influenced. Among dogs, retriever, labrador, and different breeds bred to hunt oregon determination livestock were much apt to fetch.

The authors hypothesize that, portion fetching tin lucifer earthy hunting behaviors successful some animals, it’s much apt to beryllium connected to their emotion of playing. Fetching mightiness besides beryllium 1 mode that some cats and dogs signifier and reenforce the bonds they marque with their humans. Either way, there’s plentifulness much to beryllium learned astir our furry feline and canine friends.

“We anticipation that the survey draws much attraction to fetching behaviour successful cats—who are often portrayed arsenic autarkic oregon aloof! In fact, they tin beryllium precise societal and this is simply a bully illustration of 1 mode they are interactive with humans,” said pb survey researcher Mikel Delgado, successful an interview with PLOS, publishers of the study.