Take this online cat quiz to see what kind of bond you and your feline share
Scientists come up with a quiz to help you determine whether you have an open or casual relationship, a remote association, a co-dependence or a friendship.
Phew. I took a cat quiz and feared the worst, that I would discover a I'm a co-dependent cat guardian incapable of functioning without my resident feline. I was relieved to discover I have a healthy "friendship" relationship with my ancient, crotchety cat Archer.
A research team at the University in Lincoln in the UK developed an online cat quiz as part of a study into how cat people perceive their bonds and relationships with their kitties. The researchers published the paper in the journal Animals on May 29.
"Cats form close emotional relationships with humans, yet little is actually known about this," said study co-author Daniel Mills, an animal behavior specialist, in a statement on Wednesday. "As with any complex social relationship, the type of cat-owner bond is a product of the dynamic between both individuals involved, along with their certain personality features."
The researchers worked with nearly 4,000 cat owners and logged their reactions to statements about themselves and their pets. The study describes "five distinct forms of cat-owner relationship": open relationship, remote association, casual relationship, co-dependence and friendship.
You can take an online version of the cat quiz to discover your relationship type. The questions cover pressing issues like lap-sitting activities, cat crying behaviors and whether you can go to the bathroom without your feline shadow.
My result assures me that "alongside the friendly and warm relationship, cat and owner can happily function independently." While my cat and I got put into the friendship category, the fact that I wrote this entire article with Archer on my lap might suggest we might have at least a tiny bit of co-dependence going on.