The University has conducted many studies into the behaviour of cats. Some of these studies have required cats to attend the University, but many are done via questionnaires, or home-videos sent in by volunteers. Cats attend the University every year to help our postgraduate students refine their cat handling skills and hone their understanding of behaviour during a practical session.

Please check our projects page for current cat studies being run at the University or our surveys page for online or home-based video projects.

Here is a video outlining one of our previous cat projects, looking at the relationship between cats and their owners. It challenges the idea that in cats the bond is an attachment bond in the same way as has been described with dogs. Listen to our very own Professor Daniel Mills here: Cats and Attachment Bonds.
Cats clearly have a close emotional bond with their owners and this work has since led the researchers to investigate the nature of the emotional bond in more detail. There are exciting new results which will be shared here soon!

Previous Studies

Below are some examples of previous cat studies conducted by staff and students at the University. Recent projects include looking into cat-human interactions, and pain in cats. Click the title of the study to find out more.

Pain and Problem Behaviour in Cats and Dogs

Geometric morphometrics for the study of facial expressions in non-human animals, using the domestic cat as an exemplar

Owner personality and the wellbeing of their cats share parallels with the parent-child relationship

Domestic cats do not show signs of secure attachment to their owners

To see a video of Professor Daniel Mills talking in more detail about the attachment study, click here