# What is the science behind our love for cats? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 6, 2026, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-science-behind-our-love-for-cats/1032855 "2026-09-06T13:32:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2026, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-science-behind-our-love-for-cats/1032855/21 "2026-09-06T22:49:09Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Any explanation would also need to explain why some people don’t like cats, and why some people actively dislike the snobby, selfish, self-centered little bastards. If they weren’t snobby, selfish, self-centered little bastards, it wouldn’t be so funny when they turn to look at you and accidently roll off the couch, and then pretend like they did it on purpose. To quote the Simpsons, it’s only funny when they’ve got dignity. Cats are hilariously silly creatures. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2026, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-science-behind-our-love-for-cats/1032855/22 "2026-09-06T23:10:41Z")
> [@Bumbershoot](#): > > Cats will shit in a box and they don’t even have to be trained to do it. Human babies will shit all over themselves until they’re toilet trained. Dogs actually won’t do any of that stuff where they sleep, but they’ll shit and piss all over the house if they’re not carefully house-trained, which is why crate-training dogs works – they keep their sleeping place clean. I guess the conclusions here are: - Dogs are smarter than humans - Cats are smarter than both Or might there be other things going on? 🙄 Time for a re-post of one of my favourite cartoons, from SMBC (Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal), the brilliant work of Zach Weinersmith: [![](https://i.imgur.com/8BCUfKm.png) ](https://i.imgur.com/8BCUfKm.png) ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2026, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-science-behind-our-love-for-cats/1032855/23 "2026-09-06T23:36:42Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > The current prevalent hypothesis is that they [self-domesticated](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestication_of_the_cat#Genomic_characteristics) through commensalism, rather than being domesticated by being selectively bred. Cat breeds are mostly quite recent relative to their origins as a domestic animal. Yeah. It’s pretty simple - humans who practice agriculture make big piles of bait for vermin. Naturally cats hang around there to eat the vermin, and the cats aren’t interested in the bait (grain) very much, so it’s a good deal for humans (less vermin eating our grain), and for cats (free vermin). Add in the fact that cats have neotonous (child-like) characteristics, that make them appealing to humans, and humans are comfortable to sit on (for cats), and both species can learn to be non-obnoxious to each other (don’t pull the tails and they won’t claw you to death), and it’s a match made in heaven, without much work on either side. Much different than with dogs which is more like humans grafting themselves at the top of the normal wild dog hierarchy and actively breeding for appealing features. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2026, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-science-behind-our-love-for-cats/1032855/24 "2026-09-06T23:50:41Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > Much different than with dogs which is more like humans grafting themselves at the top of the normal wild dog hierarchy and actively breeding for appealing features. But dogs are more like children in the need to be trained and thereafter forming a strong – often inseparable – bond with their human. In the words of American educator and psychiatrist Aaron Katcher, “a dog is like an eternal Peter Pan, a child who never grows old and who therefore is always available to love and be loved”. Whereas a cat, furry and adorable creature though it might be, is an independent thing unto itself. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2026, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-science-behind-our-love-for-cats/1032855/25 "2026-09-07T00:04:41Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > But dogs are more like children in the need to be trained and thereafter forming a strong – often inseparable – bond with their human That’s a better way of putting it - humans grafted themselves i to the position of permanent parents and simultaneously bred dogs to be permanent children ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2026, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-science-behind-our-love-for-cats/1032855/26 "2026-09-07T00:10:34Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > That’s a better way of putting it - humans grafted themselves i to the position of permanent parents and simultaneously bred dogs to be permanent children I don’t know if that’s intended to be a criticism, but I think there’s a modern sense in which it’s very accurate. Historically, though, dogs were bred to be assistants in activities like hunting and herding, and only incidentally as companions. It’s interesting that dogs that were bred for their developed skills like herding tend to be far more intelligent as a breed than dogs that were valued for their innate skills, like scenting hounds, and not therefore further developed. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2026, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-science-behind-our-love-for-cats/1032855/27 "2026-09-07T00:59:07Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > , and why some people actively dislike the snobby, selfish, self-centered little bastards. They are not like that. I mean, yes, other peoples cats can be all that to strangers. But I have a cat who follows me around and needs to sleep with me. All our cats (well, the rescue we are fostering is warming up) are friendly to us, and get sad when their humans leave them for too long. They want lap time, etc. > [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > People have it built into their genes as a species survival trait the ability to form emotional attachments to small useless creatures. We would be extinct if we didn’t. Not quite useless. Cats can relieve stress, and of course they keep rodents out. And we have one who acts as a watch cat, and we know when something strange is going on outside. Okay, not quite a guard dog, admittedly. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2026, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-science-behind-our-love-for-cats/1032855/28 "2026-09-07T02:18:11Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I don’t know if that’s intended to be a criticism, Not intended as criticism- noting that humans act as parents to dogs and have made them permanent children is a more precise description of what I was trying to say earlier - so I thank you ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2026, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-science-behind-our-love-for-cats/1032855/29 "2026-09-07T02:21:08Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > I’ve loved cats ever since I was a tiny kid. Some people appreciate and like cats. Some people like rats. Some like birds. Some people like insects. Fish… On the other hand, apparently some people do _not_ like cats. Or dogs. Or human babies. There is no science unless one can put forth a general principle that can be proved and falsified. ---
**Author:** ![dcbwhaley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcbwhaley/32/21437_2.png) [@dcbwhaley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dcbwhaley)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2026, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-science-behind-our-love-for-cats/1032855/30 "2026-09-07T11:21:17Z")
There is sometimes the opposite. “We never had mice until we got a cat”. My cat often brings mice home. ItI also often presents me with a dead mouse because it knows that I am incapable of catching my own ---
**Author:** ![dcbwhaley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcbwhaley/32/21437_2.png) [@dcbwhaley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dcbwhaley)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2026, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-science-behind-our-love-for-cats/1032855/31 "2026-09-07T11:25:33Z")
A dog is a wolf with the fear of man bred out of it. They are dangerous creatures. I have the scars to prove it. Sorry if this is drift ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2026, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-science-behind-our-love-for-cats/1032855/32 "2026-09-07T11:43:39Z")
> [@dcbwhaley](#): > > There is sometimes the opposite. “We never had mice until we got a cat”. My cat often brings mice home. Sometimes you don’t know you have a mouse in the house until your cat catches it. More true if your cat is indoor only. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2026, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-science-behind-our-love-for-cats/1032855/33 "2026-09-07T12:04:11Z")
Cats are interesting. They are social, some more than others, but much more on their own terms than most dogs. They can go feral faster than any other domestic animal except perhaps pigs. There’s an innate wildness about them which is probably what makes people like whatshisface above call them snobby. They aren’t snobs, they’re careful. My crew are also demanding, affectionate, silly, infuriating sometimes, beautiful in their athleticism, comforting, social in their own individual ways. I did not know what it was to truly love cats until I had a cat pick me to be her person. She was nice enough to everyone, but I was hers and she chose me. It’s hard to describe, but she was not the only cat in the house (I always have many multiples, I can’t help it) yet she was the one running to me when I came home, sleeping under my chin, always in view and touching me if she could. She was a dear, dear friend and I miss her still even after almost 20 years. I’ve been lucky enough to have another two or three over the years definitely pick me as Their Person, and it’s immensely rewarding. I always have at least one dog too, and I love them as well (hell, I’ll take animals over people most days), but their communication is different, their attitude to the world is different. It’s definitely more man-made than cats. Not at all bad, just different. But, as my handle says, crazy cat lady here 😛 ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2026, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-science-behind-our-love-for-cats/1032855/34 "2026-09-07T14:54:40Z")
I truly like indoor cats but I don’t like the outside ones that roam around my apartment complex. Over the years they’ve killed off a lot of smaller fauna that I like a lot more than cats. (birds, lizards, squirrels, praying mantises). There are a few residents that leave food out for roaming cats, but that also attracts raccoons and skunks. A previous property manager sent out a notice prohibiting leaving food outside, but when we got a new manager people decided it was okay again. This wasn’t a problem where I used to live in San Diego. Any outside cats were quickly dealt with by coyotes. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2026, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-science-behind-our-love-for-cats/1032855/35 "2026-09-07T15:40:28Z")
I love having a familiar to carry out my nefarious bidding. When it wants to. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2026, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-science-behind-our-love-for-cats/1032855/36 "2026-09-07T16:21:49Z")
I don’t think it’s anything unique to cats. People love a wide variety of pets, including rodents, snakes, fish, and insects. Many of these pets are not very reciprocal about affection at all. I think our love for pets taps in to our desire to care for others. Typically that comes from caring for another human, but the same feelings can be produced for caring for any living thing. Doesn’t even have to be an animal. People can have strong feelings for a house plant. Caring for living things can give someone a sense of purpose and a more fulfilled life. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2026, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-science-behind-our-love-for-cats/1032855/37 "2026-09-07T16:25:02Z")
This is true, but that doesn’t mean it’s not legitimate to ask for the evolutionary reason that explains why that particular love developed. And most likely there is some sort of evolutionary reason, even if it’s not obvious today or the advantages associated with that partnership don’t even exist anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2026, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-science-behind-our-love-for-cats/1032855/38 "2026-09-07T16:26:30Z")
Yes, there’s at least two reasons why caring for my spayed cats is not going to perpetuate my genes. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2026, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-science-behind-our-love-for-cats/1032855/39 "2026-09-07T19:31:47Z")
> [@dcbwhaley](#): > > There is sometimes the opposite. “We never had mice until we got a cat”. My cat often brings mice home. ItI also often presents me with a dead mouse because it knows that I am incapable of catching my own The issue there is that letting cats outside. But your house should not be infested with rodents. > [@saje](#): > > I did not know what it was to truly love cats until I had a cat pick me to be her person. She was nice enough to everyone, but I was hers and she chose me. It’s hard to describe, but she was not the only cat in the house (I always have many multiples, I can’t help it) yet she was the one running to me when I came home, sleeping under my chin, always in view and touching me if she could. She was a dear, dear friend and I miss her still even after almost 20 years. I’ve been lucky enough to have another two or three over the years definitely pick me as Their Person, and it’s immensely rewarding. It is, it is wonderful. > [@blondebear](#): > > I truly like indoor cats but I don’t like the outside ones that roam around my apartment complex. Over the years they’ve killed off a lot of smaller fauna that I like a lot more than cats. (birds, lizards, squirrels, praying mantises). I concur, cats should not be let outside except on a leash. However, those many be strays or ferals. > [@blondebear](#): > > Any outside cats were quickly dealt with by coyotes. Sadly, yes. And great Horned owls will take a smaller cat- at night of course. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2026, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-science-behind-our-love-for-cats/1032855/40 "2026-09-07T19:49:17Z")
Yes. As a child I lost my first cat, Silver, to an owl. The others were eaten by coyotes. I don’t agree that no one should ever let cats roam outside, but mine stay indoors and seem quite content. (Edit: and have yet to be eaten by anything.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-science-behind-our-love-for-cats/1032855.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-science-behind-our-love-for-cats/1032855.md?page=3)