Science Proves That Your Cat May Not Care About You

While we’d like to believe otherwise, a new United Kingdom study conducted at the University of Lincoln shows that cats do not show separation anxiety the way other companion animals (ahem, dogs) do. The study followed the Ainsworth Strange Situation Test model and observed 20 cats with their guardians, a stranger, and by themselves and found that the cats showed no additional signs of distress in unfamiliar situations or particular attachment to the guardian in novel environments. According to lead researcher Daniel Mills, “The results of our study show that (cats) are in fact much more independent than canine companions.” Furthermore, Mills stated that “in strange situations, attached individuals seek to stay close to their carer, show signs of distress when they are separated, and demonstrate pleasure when their attachment figure returns, but these trends weren’t apparent during our research.” While cats might be completely unattached to you, watching cat videos and hearing cats purr have proven to be unilaterally beneficial to humans.