Attachment as the Catalyst for the Attribution of Complex Cognition and Emotion to Companion Cats

Abstract

Companion cat caregivers ascribe complex emotions and cognitions to their cats, and these attributions are greater with a stronger attachment to their animals. We compared attributions of emotional and cognitive complexity to cats in cat caregivers and non-caregivers. We measured attitudes toward animals, belief in animal minds, caregivers’ strength of attachment, and attachment style with a particular companion cat in 448 university students, of whom 251 had owned a cat. We asked the extent to which respondents thought that cats were capable of expressing primary and secondary emotions and cognitive capabilities. Caregivers significantly differed from non-caregivers only in the attribution of primary emotions. Belief in animal minds predicted the attribution of secondary emotions and cognition. For caregivers only, avoidant attachment style was negatively associated with the attribution of primary emotions, whereas attachment strength was positively associated with the attribution of secondary emotions and cognition. These abilities may have greater discriminatory power as most respondents ascribe primary emotions to cats, perhaps for anthropomorphic reasons. Housing conditions (indoor and outdoor) were not associated with attributions, suggesting that bonds are more important than time spent together within the home in predicting the attribution of emotional and cognitive complexity in cats.