Chinese scientists found that cats such as dogs could create different types of emotional commitment to their owners. These attachment styles – safe, anxious and avoidance – affect the behavior of pets, the possibility of problem reactions, and oxytocin, social ties and stress -related hormone levels. Published in İş Magazine Applied Animal Behavior Science (AABS).
The experiment participated in the end of 30 domestic cats from China, who lived with their owners for at least four months. Scientists first performed a test where cats’ response to care and the owner’s return in a familiar room. Later, in the usual home environment, researchers noted the interaction between the cat and the owner in the video. In addition, they received saliva from animals before and after communicating with a person to measure the oxytocin level.
The results of the study showed that about one -third of the cats showed safe love: they easily make contact, actively interact with the owner and experience discomfort in physical contact. Cats with anxious attachment efforts for continuous proximity, but they can be tense and excessive work if they are taken to their hands. Animals that avoid connecting try to stay away from a person and avoid contact.
The measurement of the oxytocin level has shown that in cats with safe love, this hormone has significantly increased after interaction with the owner. In anxiously connected animals, on the contrary, the oxytocin level is initially higher, but decreases after communicating with the owner. In cats that avoid binding, changes in hormone levels have not been practically observed.
According to the researchers, interaction with the owner directly affects the emotional state of cats. While those who feel safe next to a person are less likely to show aggression and destructive behavior, for example, violence forced contact causes stress. Understanding these features will help owners to establish more harmonious relationships with pets and prevent problems in behavior.
In the future, scientists plan more details to investigate the effect of the owner’s communication style on the love and level of oxytocin in cats, and at the same time to examine the possibility of using a hormone to use a hormone to strengthen the connection between a person and a pet.
Previously, scientists learnedHow easy it is to contact a cat.
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Source: Gazeta
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