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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Cats truly bond to their people

A test shows that a majority of felines are well attached to their caregivers.
A beautiful cat in arms of her owner.

Cats seek comfort and confidence from their caregivers, suggesting that the cat–human tie can be as strong as that between toddlers and the adults who tend them. Credit: miodrag ignjatovic/iStock/Getty

Domestic cats have a reputation for being aloof and emotionally distant from the humans in their lives. Thus it came as a surprise to Kristyn Vitale at Oregon State University in Corvallis and her colleagues that felines are as firmly bonded to their owners as young children are to their primary caregivers.

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Nature 574, 9 (2019)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-02878-w

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