The 5 personality traits of cats

The idea that animals have personality is something that, although common sense seems to indicate that it is obvious, it turns out to be something that has been very little investigated.

Fortunately, in recent years there have been those who have wanted to know what the dimensions of personality of some animal species, especially those that offer benefits or companionship to beings humans.

One of the most in-depth investigations in this regard has made it possible to establish, still provisionally, what are the personality traits of cats. Next we are going to see a little about animal research and the feline personality model.

• Related article: "The 5 great personality traits: sociability, responsibility, openness, kindness and neuroticism"

The personality traits of cats

Both in popular culture and in the academic world, personality or temperament is understood to be a series of behavior patterns that differ from individual to individual, which can be totally normal and adaptive or, otherwise, suppose what has been called disorders of personality.

This same concept has been extrapolated to the animal world, trying to investigate on multiple occasions what are the personality traits of various species, but always from a focus centered on how closely, both in space and in phylogenetics, the species is with respect to the human being. It is because of that most research has focused on non-human primates, mainly chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans, in addition to dogs, given their usefulness in multiple professions such as the police.

However, cats, despite the fact that they are not one of the most recurrent animals in the field professional, they are the most popular with pets, something that is a double-edged sword for species. On the one hand, every year millions of cats are adopted around the world and, when the households who have adopted them see that it is not It is possible to establish a good coexistence, there are also millions of cats who are re-adopted, abandoned or, in the worst case, slaughtered.

It is because of that try to elucidate what their behavior patterns are, what personality traits each of them have and how these can be beneficial or harmful for people has become a vital task for the well-being of both cats and those who adopt them. Knowing what personality the animal has can make it easier to find a correct home for it, use it as a therapeutic animal (cat therapy), find out if he has veterinary problems, and seek strategies to change his temperament.

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How can you measure the personality of a cat?

As you can understand, finding out what the behavior of a human being is is much easier than finding out what it is that of an animal, be it a cat, dog, monkey or horse. With adult human beings, it is enough to administer a personality questionnaire, such as the NEO-PIR, that they answer it and analyze the answers later. In the case of an animal, it is necessary to observe its behavior patterns, record them and draw conclusions based on how you relate to others, how active you are, whether you are looking for company or not ...

In the first investigations on feline personality, the method of classical observation, a very recurrent method in ethology and which is ideal for studying species of primates. This tool is characterized by being very objective, since what is seen is recorded, the researcher's interpretations will come after having obtained the complete record of the animal.

However, as time went by, it was found to be better, especially for domestic cats, ask their owners directly, using standardized questionnaires, what personality traits they attributed to their pets. Although this route is more subjective, it is much more practical, less time consuming and, since the owner has spent a lot of time living with the animal, his opinion is relatively reliable.

The feline five factor model

To date, the largest research that has addressed the personality of cats is that of the Lichfield group of 2017, in which about 2000 cats residing in South Australia and New Zealand were sampled. In the research, feline owners were administered a questionnaire in which they had to indicate what traits they attributed to their pets.

This study is highly innovative, since it did not limit itself to seeing where on a continuum or dimension, subjectively chosen, the personality of a particular cat, but intended to establish a personality model similar to that of the Five Factors or Big Five of McCrae and Costa, only what a feline. In the classic model, it is the following dimensions that make it up.

• Neuroticism
• Extraversion
• Openness to experience
• Responsibility
• Cordiality

The theoretical framework of the model suggests that the personality of the individual is determined by the position in which he find in each of these dimensions, which each constitute a continuum with two poles opposites.

The research carried out by Lichfield et al. (2017) concluded that There are also 5 personality dimensions that can be found in domestic catsThese being neuroticism, extraversion, dominance, impulsiveness, and cordiality.

1. Neuroticism

This dimension could be understood as that of the classic neuroticism of the McCrae and Costa model.

Cats that score high in this dimension are often insecure, anxious, fearful of people, and usually shy.. This is why a home with a highly neurotic cat should ensure that it has places where it can easily hide and feel safe, especially if there are visitors.

In contrast, cats that are less neurotic and therefore should be monitored more frequently, since they will be animals that will not be afraid to get too close to depending on what stimuli, being able to run the risk of having a accident.

2. Extraversion

The dimension of feline extraversion is a combination between its human counterpart and the dimension of openness to experience.

Within this dimension can be found traits such as being active, curious, being vigilant, inquisitive, determined and inventive.

Extraverted cats are smarter, more curious, and self-starter. That is why it is convenient for them to grow up in environments where there are many stimuli and with cognitive complexity. Otherwise it will be easier for them to get bored and seek their own distractions, such as scratching doors, destroying furniture.

Little extraverted cats are also less clever and are looking for less novelty. Because of this, they tend to be more sedentary and not attracted to cognitive stimuli, which can aggravate health problems related to aging.

This, in turn, will lead to physical problems and cognitive dysfunction, which will increase visits to the vet.

3. Dominance

Dominance is one of the dimensions with which it differs from the classic Big Five model.

In this case, This dimension includes aspects such as harassing other animals, showing aggressive behavior, marking the territory, prevent someone from approaching your safety zone or self-proclaimed as yours.

High scores in this dimension could reflect that the cat tends to harm other cats inside of the home, which would be a source of stress, conflict, aggression and damage, in addition to less health in general.

4. Impulsiveness

Although it is not exactly the dimension of the responsibility of the classical model, it could be considered as something similar, only at the opposite pole.

Within the impulsivity dimension we would have traits such as engaging in erratic behaviors, taking risks without much thought, not knowing how to wait ...

High scores in impusiveness can indicate living in a stressful environment, with negative effects on the health and well-being of the cat.

In these cases, owners may need to seek advice from a feline trainer or a cat expert to find out what is the source of stress.

Low impulsivity scores usually indicate that the cat is correctly adapted to the home in which it has lived, and in which it feels satisfied and enjoys its routine.

5. Cordiality

Cordiality is another dimension that has the same name as in the McCrae and Costa model. In her include traits such as being affectionate, friendly to people and other animals.

High scores for friendliness tend to represent that cats are happy in the home, that they are well adjusted, and in turn these happy cats can be a source of behavioral enrichment for others cats

These types of cats can be very useful for therapeutic purposes, such as feline therapy for both humans and other animals,

Low scores in this dimension can translate into cats being irritable and aggressive towards people, they may reflect poor socialization, find themselves frustrated, or be suffering from some kind of illness or pain.

Bibliographic references:

• Costa PT, McCrae RR (1992). Four ways five factors are basic. Pers Individual Dif. 13: 653–665.
• Source: Litchfield CA, Quinton G, Tindle H, Chiera B, Kikillus KH, Roetman P (2017) The ‘Feline Five’: An exploration of personality in pet cats (Felis catus). PLoS ONE 12 (8): e0183455.