Cats play fetch to manipulate their owner (4 photos + 1 video)

It is believed that playing fetch is a favorite pastime for dogs. But scientists decided to tackle this issue. A recent study found that cats love to play this game too - however, they have specific goals for doing so.





Scientists from Northumbria University, England, conducted an interesting study among cats - and the results surprised them. In the study, they surveyed 924 owners whose cats played fetch. It turns out that cats love to play fetch just as much as dogs. However, during play they can "manipulate" their owners - for example, by refusing to play when they don't feel like it. They also often do not bring the toy to the owner, which forces him to get up from his seat and pick it up to throw it again. Most often, this behavior was observed among purebred pets: Siamese, Bengal cats, and ragdolls. In 94% of cases, the owners did not teach the cats this game - the pets began to play on their own.



Unlike cats, dogs behave more dominantly during play. In addition, they can bring the ball to the owner many times, while cats on average bring no more than five times. Both dogs and cats can initiate the game themselves: approach the owner and bring the ball. Cats will also often bring a toy to their owner's bed (even if they are sleeping) to initiate play. But they are more likely than dogs to refuse to play when they don’t want to.

"Cats like to make playing fetch more interesting for themselves and will often play only when they feel like it. They will typically bring a toy to their owner no more than five times. More picky cats will only bring certain items that they like," says Dr. Elizabeth Renner, co-author of the study.





Cats choose different objects to play fetch. According to the study, the majority are special cat toys from pet stores and round-shaped objects. In addition, they can choose from hair ties, bottle caps, and crumpled paper.