Are Cats Psychopaths?

Yes, according to science. The new research is published in the Journal of Research in Personality.

The researchers interviewed hundreds of cat owners (175 men, 367 women, and seven identifying as “other”) to gather info on perceptions of their cat’s behavior in the context of the “triarchic model of psychopathy,” which explores three areas: Boldness, Meanness, and Disinhibition. Long story short, a lot of cats are bold, mean, and unable to inhibit inappropriate behavior – or anyway their owners think so.

If this kind of research sounds frivolous, the impetus behind it is not. “Euthanasia of unwanted animals is the leading cause of death for domestic cats,” the researchers write. “It is, therefore, imperative that we seek to understand how feline personality affects the quality of the cat-owner relationship.”

The scientists theorize that domestic cats still carry a lot of psychopathic baggage from evolutionary pressures. That is, being manipulative and predatory in the wild for eons was a successful survival strategy, and those winning traits naturally survived.

Is your cat a psychopath? Probably. You can take the diagnostic survey to find out here: https://osf.io/ysb9z/

Photo credit: Schwarzman Animal Medical Center