Fetching in cats is more common than previously thought, researchers find

[Jk23]

https://phys.org/news/2024-09-cats-common-previously-thought.html


Although it is more common in dogs, 4 in 10 pet cats also choose to play fetch with their owners, report Mikel Delgado from Purdue University, US, and colleagues in PLOS ONE.

Dogs are well-known for playing fetch, but some cats also engage in fetching behavior. Fetching may have its roots in the natural hunting behaviors of cats and dogs, but how it was shaped by domestication into the playful actions we see in our pets today is unclear. Researchers analyzed data from online surveys of cat (Felis catus) and dog (Canis familiaris) owners conducted between 2015 and 2023, which included questions about the fetching behavior of their pets.

Among over 8,000 cat owners surveyed, 41% reported that their cat would sometimes, frequently or always retrieve toys or objects that they threw—significantly higher than previous estimates. They found that cats are more likely to display fetching behavior if they are generally more active and playful, and if they live indoors.

Although cats of all breeds sometimes engage in fetching, it is more common in Burmese, Siamese, and Tonkinese cats. These breeds originated from cats that were taken to the Far East early during cat domestication, making them genetically distinct from other cat breeds.

[House of Roberts]

1. We have a dog that fetches

but she won’t let go of what she brings to you. You have to work it out of her mouth so you can throw it again. Unless, it has a squeaky inside it. If you can make it squeak she’ll let it go.

[catrose]

2. My 1st fetcher was a Japanese bobtail.

Quite a few of my Siamese fosters were fetchers too

[Archae]

3. My cat Raven still likes to play fetch.

I got it on video several years ago.

&t=7s&ab_channel=RossSauer

[EverHopeful]

4. We had a cat who loved playing fetch

If he brought you a furry ball to play and you didn't notice, he'd paw at you and sit and wait for the poor stooped hooman to figure out what was required.

When he was on daily meds, all you had to do was show him the ball. He'd patiently let you give him the meds then demand lots of fetch play time. He was an orange tabby of unknown parentage.

[FeelingBlue]

5. I played fetch with my cat.

I’d throw the wadded up paper ball up the stairs and she would run after it and return it.

This gave me goosebumps.

[msongs]

6. used ta slide my cat across the hardwood floor. she would run back for more many times nt

[k55f5r]

7. My Russian blue, Trinka,

Would play fetch with me everyday. I'd finish a pack of cigarettes roll up. The package and throw it and she'd bring it back to me. We'd do that several times before she lost interest.

[applegrove]

8. Mine will fetch once, and the second time I throw he

has lost interest.

[3catwoman3]

9. We have had several fetchers over our decades of...

...being owned by cats.

One of our current kitties, a nearly 15 pound black-and-brown, green eye-eyed tabby guy, likes to fetch over-sized plastic springs. The springs look like a giant version of the springs that are part of ball=point pen ink cartridges.

When he wants to play, he will find one and bring it to me, meowing along the way. Sometimes he will bring it back to within 4-6 feet of me, and other times several paces away. His attention span for this game is pretty variable.

Our tuxie female once fetched a toy over 20 times before she tired of the game.

[Faux pas]

10. My cat's

fetch game is a combo of soccer and basketball. It's hysterical 🤣

[sakabatou]

11. I think we had only ONE cat that played fetch (never tested it)

Her thing was fetching socks.

[pansypoo53219]

12. 1st boy fetched. 2nd 1/2 fetched + we played paw ball. last 2 p;ayed w/ themselves. sybil stole floss. basil had a nasty

Last edited Sun Sep 8, 2024, 11:42 PM - Edit history (1)

shoelace he found. a dead ping pong ball. a sad floral arrangement bird, basil killed a piece of paper. then i found him + the dying mouse before he was 1. he was declawed. i know i know. but the spares were so touchy about their paws. don't know who killed the 2nd mouse.

[C0RI0LANUS]

13. My manx cat brought her toy to me so that we would play fetch. I miss her.

[lark]

14. My old cat loved to play "soccer".

We would roll a chewing gum wrapper into a ball and scoot it along the floor. She'd hit it from paw to paw, advancing it until it hit the wall. Then she'd pick it up and bring it back for another round. She adored this game and would play it as long as we were up for it. She was the smartest cat I've ever had. She also loved to turn flips for the laser pointer and to play box.

[bif]

15. My Aby loves to fetch

Especially if there's a reward involved.