Cat personality

New Zealand and Australian researchers investigated the personalities of 2802 domestic cats living indoors.

Owners filled a questionnaire evaluating 52 personality traits that would be then classified in 5 personalities.

1-Neurotic: insecure, anxious, fearful of people, suspicious and shy.

2-Dominant: bullying, dominant and aggressive with other cats.

3-Impulsive: erratic, impulsive and reckless.

4-Agreeable: affectionate, friendly to people and other animals.

5-Extraverted: alert, curious, inquisitive, creative and intelligent.

Knowing a cat’s personality could be used to improve their welfare in some ways:

• Neurotic cats could benefit from having more hiding places around the house and having access to more quiet places.
• Extraverted cats may need more stimulation and more complex environmental and social enrichment to avoid boredom.
• Low scores for extraversion (clumsy, aimless) can indicate health problems, like cognitive dysfunction.
• High scores for impulsiveness (erratic, reckless) could indicate a stressful environment with negative effects on the cat´s health and welfare.
• Low scores on impulsiveness probably show that the cat is well adapted to his environment and enjoys his routine.
• Low scores on agreeableness (irritable/aggressive towards people) can be a sign of poor socialization, frustration ou underlying pain or illness. Probably will intimidate other cats.

Cat’s personality profiles can be interesting not only to cat owners but also to multiple cat households. Ideally, before adopting a new cat, we should know his personality.