The 5 personality traits of cats

Summary of the personality traits of cats, with which to describe them as individuals.

The idea that animals have personalities is something that, although common sense seems to indicate that it is a truism, turns out to be something that has been very little researched.

Fortunately, in recent years there have been those who have wanted to know what are the personality dimensions of some animal species, especially those that offer benefits or companionship to humans.

One of the most profound investigations in this regard has made it possible to establish, in a still tentative way, which are the personality traits of animals, what are the personality traits of cats. Next we are going to see a little on the investigation with animals and the feline personality model.

Personality traits of cats

Both in popular culture and in the academic world, personality or temperament is understood as a series of behavioral patterns that differ from individual to individual, which can be totally normal and adaptive or, otherwise, imply what has been called personality disorders.

This same concept has been extrapolated to the animal world, trying to investigate on multiple occasions what are the personality traits of various species, but always from a focus centered on how close, both in space and phylogenetically, is the species with respect to the human being. It is for this reason that most research has focused on non-human primates, mainly chimpanzees, chimpanzees, chimpanzees, chimpanzees, chimpanzees and chimpanzees.Primates, mainly chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans, as well as dogs, given their usefulness in multiple professions such as the police.

However, cats, although they are not one of the most recurrent animals in the professional field, are among the most popular among pets, which is a double-edged sword for the species. On the one hand, every year millions of felines are adopted around the world and, when the homes that have adopted them see that it is not possible to establish a good coexistence, millions of cats are also readopted, abandoned or, in the worst cases, euthanized.

It is for this reason that to try to elucidate what their behavior patterns are, what personality traits each of them have, and how these can be beneficial or harmful. and how these can be beneficial or detrimental to people has become a task of vital importance for both the welfare of the cats and those who adopt them. Knowing what personality the animal has can make it easier to find the right home for it, use it as a therapeutic animal (cat therapy), find out if it has veterinary problems and look for strategies to change its temperament.

• You may be interested in "Do animals have culture?"

How can you measure a cat's personality?

As you will understand, finding out what is the behavior of a human being is much easier than finding out what is the behavior of an animal, whether it is a cat, dog, monkey or horse. With adult humans it is enough to administer a personality questionnaire, such as the NEO-PIR, have them answer it and then analyze the answers. In the case of an animal, it is necessary to observe its behavior patterns, record them and draw conclusions based on how it relates to other animals. based on how it relates to others, how active it is, whether it seeks companionship or not...

In the first investigations on feline personality, the classical observation method used to be used, a very recurrent method in ethology and which is ideal for studying primate species. This tool is characterized by being very objective, since what is seen is recorded, the researcher's interpretations will come after having obtained the complete record of the animal.

However, over time, it was found to be better, especially for domestic cats, to ask their owners directly, by means of standardized questionnaires.which personality traits they attributed to their pets. Although this approach is more subjective, it is much more practical, less time-consuming and, given that the owner has spent a lot of time with the animal, his or her opinion is relatively reliable.

The five-factor feline model

To date, the largest research addressing cat personality is the 2017 Lichfield group's 2017 study, which about 2,000 cats residing in South Australia and New Zealand were sampled.. In the research, the owners of the felines were administered a questionnaire in which they had to indicate what traits they attributed to their pets.

This study is highly innovative, given that it was not limited to seeing where on a continuum or dimension, subjectively chosen, the personality of a specific cat could be located, but it was intended to establish a personality model similar to that of the Five Factors or Big Five of McCrae and Costa, only with felines. In the classic model, the following dimensions make up the model.

• Neuroticism
• Extraversion
• Openness to experience
• Responsibility
• Cordiality

The theoretical framework of the model suggests that an individual's personality is determined by where he or she stands on each of these dimensions, which each constitute a continuum with two opposing poles.

Research conducted by Lichfield et al. (2017) concluded that. there are also 5 personality dimensions that can be found in domestic catsThese are neuroticism, extraversion, dominance, impulsivity and agreeableness.

Neuroticism

This dimension could be understood as the classic neuroticism of McCrae and Costa's model.

Cats scoring high on this dimension tend to be insecure, anxious, fearful of people, and usually shy.. Therefore, a household with a highly neurotic cat should make sure that they have places where they can easily hide and feel safe, especially if there are visitors.

On the other hand, cats that are less neurotic and, therefore, should be monitored more frequently, since they are animals that are not afraid to get too close to certain stimuli and may run the risk of having an accident.

2. Extraversion

The dimension of feline extraversion is a combination of its human counterpart and the dimension of openness to experience.

Within this dimension one can find traits such as being active, curious, vigilant, inquisitive, decisive and inventive. and inventive.

Extraverted cats are smarter, curious and self-initiated. That is why they should grow up in environments where there is a lot of stimuli and cognitive complexity. Otherwise it will be easier for them to get bored and look for their own distractions, such as scratching on doorssuch as scratching doors, smashing furniture.

Cats that are not very extroverted are also less smart and seek less novelties. Because of this, they tend to be more sedentary and not attracted to cognitive stimuli, which can aggravate health problems related to aging.

This, in turn, will lead to physical problems and cognitive dysfunction, which will increase visits to the veterinarian.

3. Dominance

Dominance is one of the dimensions that differs from the classic Big Five model.

In this case, included in this dimension are aspects such as harassing other animals, showing aggressive behaviors, marking territory, preventing someone from approaching the animal, and preventing the dog from getting close to the other animal.In this case, this dimension includes aspects such as harassing other animals, showing aggressive behaviors, marking territory, preventing someone from approaching their safety zone or self-proclaimed zone.

High scores in this dimension could reflect that the cat tends to harm other cats within the home, which would be a source of stress, conflicts, aggression and damage, as well as poorer health in general.

4. Impulsivity

Although it is not exactly the responsibility dimension of the classical model, it could be considered as something similar, only at the opposite pole.

Within the impulsivity dimension we would have traits such as carrying out erratic erratic behaviors, taking risks without much thought, not knowing how to wait...not knowing how to wait...

High scores in impusivity may indicate living in a stressful environment, with negative effects on the cat's health and well-being.

In these cases, owners may need to seek advice from a cat trainer or a cat expert to find out what is the source of stress.

Low impulsivity scores usually indicate that the cat is well adapted to the home in which it lives, and in which it feels satisfied and enjoys its routine.

5. Friendliness

Cordiality is another dimension that is called the same as in the McCrae and Costa model. It includes traits such as being affectionate, friendly to people and other animals. traits such as being affectionate, friendly with people and other animals are included..

High cordiality scores tend to represent that cats are happy in the home, that they are well adjusted, and in turn these happy cats can be a source of behavioral enrichment for other cats.

Such cats can be very useful for therapeutic purposes, as in feline therapy for both humans and other animals,

Low scores on this dimension may translate into cats being irritable and aggressive towards people, may reflect poor socialization, be frustrated, or be suffering from some type of illness or pain.

References:

• Costa PT, McCrae RR (1992). Four ways five factors are basic. Pers Individ Dif. 13: 653-665.
• Source: Litchfield CA, Quinton G, Tindle H, Chiera B, Kikillus KH, Roetman P (2017) The ‘Feline Five’: An exploration of personality in pet cats (Felis catus). PLoS ONE 12(8): e0183455.