Key personality differences between cat breeds have been identified by scientists — with Russian Blues the most fearful and Turkish Vans the most aggressive.
Researchers from the University of Helsinki created a new and more comprehensive questionnaire for surveying the personalities and behaviours of our feline friends.
After studying data on more than 4,300 cats from 26 different breeds, the team identified seven key traits, including playfulness, fearfulness and grooming levels.
According to the team, studying behaviour and personality traits in cats may help us to address behavioural problems like aggression and inappropriate elimination.
Key personality differences between cat breeds have been identified by scientists — with Russian Blues (top right) the most fearful and Turkish Vans (top left) the most aggressive
‘Compared to dogs, less is known about the behaviour and personality of cats, and there is demand for identifying related problems and risk factors,’ said paper author and feline behaviour expert Salla Mikkola of the University of Helsinki.
‘We need more understanding and tools to weed out problematic behaviour and improve cat welfare.
‘The most common behavioural challenges associated with cats relate to aggression and inappropriate elimination.’
In their study, Ms Mikkola and colleagues developed a questionnaire that asked owners the extent to which they agreed with 138 statements about their feline’s personality and behaviour.
These included prompts like whether the cat ‘gets along well with other cats in the household’, ‘always greets unfamiliar adults visiting your home in a friendly manner’ or ‘often exhibits sudden bursts of running (zoomies”)’.
The advantage of surveying cat owners rather than undertaking behavioural tests is that they give a sense of a feline’s long-term behaviour in their everyday setting, rather than in a lab where the cat may react unusually to its new surroundings.
Analysis revealed seven key personality and behavioural traits that not only varied among individual felines, but also manifested as clear personality differences between different breeds.
‘The most fearful breed was the Russian Blue, while the Abyssinian was the least fearful. The Bengal was the most active breed, while the Persian and Exotic were the most passive,’ noted paper author Hannes Lohi, also of the University of Helsinki.
‘The breeds exhibiting the most excessive grooming were the Siamese and Balinese, while the Turkish Van breed scored considerably higher in aggression towards humans and lower in sociability towards cats.’
‘The most fearful breed was the Russian Blue, while the Abyssinian was the least fearful. The Bengal was the most active breed, while the Persian and Exotic were the most passive,’ noted paper author Hannes Lohi, also of the University of Helsinki. Pictured: a Persian cat
The researchers cautioned that, at this stage, they have not carried out any pairwise comparisons between different cat breeds.
‘We wanted to obtain a rough idea of whether there are differences in personality traits between breeds,’ Ms Mikkola explained.
‘In further studies, we will utilise more complex models to examine factors that affect traits and problematic behaviour.
‘In these models, we will take into consideration, in addition to its breed, the cat’s age, gender, health and a wide range of environmental factors.’
Analysis revealed seven key personality and behavioural traits that not only varied among individual felines, but also manifested as clear personality differences between different breeds. Pictured: a Russian Blue cat, which the team report is the most fearful breed
One concern with using questionnaires to look at cat personalities is that they are inherently subjective in nature, meaning that their reliability must also be assessed.
To do this, the researchers reached out to respondents between one and three months after they completed the survey and asked them to either complete the questionnaire again, or to have another adult in the household respond.
Based on the results, the team were able to see how consistent the answers to the questionnaire were, both temporally but also between different respondents.
‘By comparing the responses, we noted that the responses provided for the same cat were very similar, while the personality and behaviour traits were found to be reproducible and reliable,’ explained Ms Mikkola.
‘We also examined the validity of the questionnaire — whether it measures what it intended to measure. In these terms, too, the questionnaire functioned well.’
After studying more than 4,300 cats — from 26 different breed groups — the team identified seven key traits, including playfulness (pictured), fearfulness and grooming levels
‘Internationally speaking, our study is the most extensive and significant survey so far and it provides excellent opportunities for further research,’ said Professor Lohi.
‘The reliability of prior feline behavioural questionnaires has not been measured in such a versatile manner, nor are they as comprehensive as this one.’
The full findings of the study were published in the journal Animals.