Although cats are generally considered to be cunning and independent, all cat owners can tell you they all have personalities of their own. No two cats are exactly alike in terms of preferences and dispositions— and this can make a big difference in how they react to certain situations.
Knowing your cat’s personality can help you make his environment comfortable and welcoming— and according to scientists, all cats differ on 5 particular traits called the Feline Five.
A while back, three researchers created a personality test for cats which was used on wild felines and domestic kitties in shelters. Most recently, Dr. Carla Litchfield from the University of South Australia studied nearly 3,000 cats, testing them with the famous kitty personality test. At the end of her testing, she concluded there are 5 factors which essentially make up the feline personality. These factors are skittishness, outgoingness, dominance, spontaneity and friendliness— and cats can score low, high or average range in each one.
1. Skittishness
Cats who score high on skittishness are generally more anxious and can be afraid of other people and cats. On the flipside, kitties who score low on this measure are usually extremely calm and trusting. If you have a skittish kitty, you should give your cat plenty of places to hide around the house. These kitties cope by avoiding fearful situations, and when they finally realize they are safe, their self-confidence will grow.
2. Outgoingness
As can be assumed, cats with high outgoingness scores love to explore and are highly curious and active. Kitties with low scores, on the other hand, can quit activities quickly and are considered “aimless”. Outgoing cats need a ton of stimulation and activities for their active minds. Without enough mental stimulation, these kitties can resort to destructive behaviour.
3. Dominance
The dominance score is essentially a measure of how friendly or aggressive your kitty is with other cats. Highly dominant kitties can be considered bullies while cats who score low in dominance are usually friendly to other felines. Dominant kitties like having their own stuff, so if they live in a multi-cat household, it’s suggested you put out their very own bowl of food and water.
4. Spontaneity
A cat who scores high in spontaneity is described as “impulsive” and “erratic”. Meanwhile, cats with low spontaneity scores are generally more predictable and constrained. Spontaneous cats can be a bit unpredictable, but experts say you should never shout or make them angry. Give them set feeding and playtime routines so they can start recognizing a schedule and knowing how to behave appropriately.
5. Friendliness
The last one is fairly self-explanatory, but high friendliness indicates affection and friendliness towards people, wheres cats who score low in friendliness are often more solitary and irritable. Friendly cats often had great socialization as a kitten, but if their temperment suddenly changes you may want to seek out a vet. Sometimes pain or illness can make them act differently.
Once cats are 1-year-old, their personalities are fairly pretty stable. Overall, however, researchers say that as cats get older they tend to become more skittish and dominant; and less spontaneous, outgoing and friendly than their younger kitty counterparts.
If you want to know your cat’s personality type, simply click here and you will be taken to the free online test. With your results, you will also get helpful tips on how you can adjust your kitty-parenting to be more in-tune with your kitty’s unique personality and needs!
Enjoy, and be sure to share your results in the comments!
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