Stick With You…

In the last couple of years, I’ve been reading various articles on a subject in human psychology referred to as attachment styles. In my recent feline psychology saves, I found this piece:

https://www.popsci.com/environment/cat-bond-human/

While I’ve read other articles about how misunderstood the bond between human and feline family is, I’ve never found an article applying the attachment style concept this directly, and showing conclusively that the relationship you build with a cat is not dissimilar to the one you build with a young child. For a number of years, I’ve had various people talk to me about how aloof their family cat was when they were a child. If those people viewed their memories impartially, it’s a lot easier to recognise that the behaviour towards their family feline was often simply adequate, basic care. And that’s likely to build a dependency bond with no emotional depth.

It’s heartening to see more feline psychology studies being published to help people learn how to build a better relationship with their cat. A key thing to remember is that each cat has their own personality, so building a bond with each cat will differ with the best approach. There may be similarities in some areas, but it’s important to pay attention to each cat and learn what helps them feel safe.