According to a new study, cats experience the greatest fondness for female owners.
Cats attach to your veterinary clients—your female clients in particular—as social partners and it's not just because they want to be fed, according to research in the journal Behavioral Processes.
Researchers videotaped and later analyzed interactions between 41 cats and their owners during four different periods of time. They noted the behaviors of the cat and owner and also assessed owner and cat personalities. Researchers discovered cats and their owners strongly influenced each others' behaviors. Extroverted women with young, active cats experienced the greatest fondness. These cats only had to use subtle cues—such as a single, upright tail move—to signal desire for friendly contact.
Cats also approached female owners more frequently than male owners and initiated contact more frequently with the female owners. Researchers determined that cats seem to remember kindness and return the favor later. If owners comply with their felines' wishes to interact, then cats will often comply with their owners' desires at other times.
