10 Signs Your Cat Loves You Unconditionally
Before truly addressing the question at hand, we might first pose a deeply philosophical inquiry: What is love? Love between family members, between couples, between friends, the love children have for their parents—it all creates powerful connections among people. Yet, the expressions and feelings of these "loves" vary greatly. If we must draw parallels between human love and any other form, the bond between a pet owner and their pet often resembles that of a parent with a young child. To pets, their owners are caretakers, nurturers, the source of their sustenance, and their cognitive abilities are akin to those of humans in infancy.
Attachment Theory
When it comes to the love that infants have for their caregivers, we often refer to it as "attachment." If a caregiver consistently attends to an infant's needs and engages with them from around six months to two years of age, the infant will develop an attachment to that caregiver. Attachment theory posits that children need to form a close bond with at least one primary caregiver to avoid longterm psychological and social development issues. This theory was initially proposed by psychoanalyst John Bowlby, but it was greatly advanced by developmental psychologist Mary Ainsworth through her groundbreaking "strange situation" experiment.
The Strange Situation Experiment
In this experiment, infants are brought into a room that is unfamiliar to them. Both their primary caregiver and a stranger enter and leave the room several times. The infant's behavior in various scenarios is recorded and analyzed. The experiment is divided into eight main steps:
1. The caregiver and the infant are brought into the experimental room.
2. The caregiver and the infant remain in the room, with the caregiver not interfering with the infant's exploration or play.
3. A stranger enters the room, chats with the caregiver, and begins to approach the infant, after which the caregiver leaves.
4. The stranger and the infant are left alone in the room.
5. The caregiver returns, comforts the infant, and leaves again, with the stranger also leaving.
6. The infant is left alone in the room.
7. A stranger enters the room.
8. The caregiver enters, comforts, and picks up the infant, and the stranger leaves.
By analyzing the infant's behavior in these scenarios, attachment types are categorized into four distinct types:
Secure Attachment: When the caregiver is present, the infant is happy to explore and play, and also interacts with the stranger. When the caregiver leaves, the infant may cry or fuss, but they are quickly soothed and resume exploring when the caregiver returns.
Disorganized/Disoriented Attachment: When the caregiver is present, the infant may still be afraid of the stranger. When the caregiver leaves and returns, the infant may scream, kick, and be difficult to comfort. The infant's reaction to the caregiver's comfort is contradictory, both expecting and resisting it.
Avoidant Attachment: Whether the caregiver leaves or returns, the infant remains indifferent, showing little to no exploration or play, and minimal interaction with either the stranger or the caregiver.
Disorganized/Disoriented Attachment: These infants typically do not have a consistent response pattern, showing excessive fear, rigidity, repetitive movements, or complete immobility. However, about 52% of infants will still seek comfort from the caregiver upon their return.
Although Ainsworth's attachment classification methods have faced increasing criticism, the concept of attachment types remains crucial in developmental psychology and has inspired researchers in animal psychology to study animal cognition.
Cats and Attachment Behavior
In 2007, Claudia Edwards and her colleagues sought to study cat attachment behavior. In this experiment, the steps were synchronized with Ainsworth's strange situation test, but the subjects were cats instead of infants. The results showed that, compared to being alone in the room or with a stranger, cats spent more time exploring and relaxing when with their owners. They also interacted more with their owners than with strangers. Cats were more likely to stay near the door when with a stranger, and they only played when with their owners.
If Claudia's experiment was a mere taste of cat attachment behavior research, Kristyn Vitale's findings in 2019 provided a new perspective on the relationship between cats and their owners.
Kristyn's Simplified Strange Situation Test
Kristyn simplified the strange situation test by removing the stranger component and reducing the steps to three. The owner and the cat were in a strange room; the owner left, and the cat was left alone; the owner returned. In her experiment, 70 kittens (aged 38 months) and 38 adult cats (over 1 year) participated. The same coding and classification standards used for testing human infants and dogs were applied when observing and categorizing the cats' behaviors.
The results showed that, like human infants, cats' attachment to their owners could also be categorized into four types. Among the 70 kittens, 64.3% were classified as secure, with the remaining 35.7% consisting of 84% conflict, 12% avoidant, and 4% disorganized. The distribution of attachment types in adult cats was also similar.
Similar to humans, the established attachment type between cats and their owners is very stable. Kristyn attempted to change the attachment types of 39 kittens through six weeks of socialization training, with 31 kittens as a control group, and conducted a second test. Unfortunately, the results showed that socialization training did not significantly alter the attachment types of the kittens. This could be due to genetic factors influencing the stability of cats' attachment types, or it could be because kittens over three months old have already passed the commonly believed socialization sensitive period at 48 weeks of age.
Regardless of the reason, a cat's early experiences have a significant impact on their attachment type. However, whether a cat can form a new attachment type with a new owner remains unknown.
Determining Your Cat's Attachment Type
Now that you've reached this point, you might be wondering, "Does my cat love me? What type of attachment does it have?" Next, we'll teach you a simple test method. However, please note that this test can only serve as a reference, as we cannot guarantee the accuracy of our experimental procedures or the coding of the cat's behavior. Therefore, the following steps and interpretations are provided for entertainment purposes only.
Test Steps
1. Take your cat to a room with minimal hiding spots, as some cats tend to hide in a safe corner when entering a new environment. Choose a room with few items to ensure the test runs smoothly.
2. Spend 2 minutes with your cat in the room, sitting in the center. Respond to your cat's needs (e.g., pet them when they come over for attention), but do not actively engage with them.
3. Leave the room and let your cat be alone for 2 minutes.
4. Return to the room and spend time with your cat again.
Result Analysis
Secure Attachment: If your cat explores the room quickly and may seek comfort during your absence, and is eager to explore again when you return, your cat's attachment type may be secure. They love you and feel secure in your presence, giving them the courage to explore the world.
Conflict Attachment: If your cat has some exploration but may also be anxious, showing signs of distress when you leave and seeking comfort upon your return but remaining near you, your cat's attachment type may be conflict. They love you deeply but may be prone to anxiety and lack security.
Avoidant/Disorganized Attachment: If your cat shows no interest in exploring the room, has little to no anxiety when you leave, and does not seek comfort or explore when you return, your cat's attachment type may be avoidant or disorganized. This does not mean your cat doesn't love you; it could be due to past experiences or issues in your interactions.
By understanding your cat's attachment type, you can better understand their behavior and strengthen your bond with them.
