Think your cat loves you unconditionally? It might be time to reassess that…
The next time you think it’s completely acceptable to let your cat sleep on your bed at night or snuggle up with you while you're watching TV, you might want to give that a second thought. Not because it’s a bit unhygienic or because they leave those little hairs on absolutely everything, but because actually, your cat is probably plotting your murder at this very moment.
According to research carried out by the University of Edinburgh and Bronx Zoo, regular house cats actually share many personality traits with their wilder relatives - like lions. The study found that their personality structure was strikingly similar to that of the Scottish wildcat, clouded leopard, snow leopard and the African lion.
The main characteristics the common house cat had in common with them were dominance, impulsiveness and neuroticism. This revelation has caused some experts to propose that if your lovely, adorable pet cat was a bit bigger, it might just want to indulge its killer instinct.
However, before you start fretting that your pet kitty might have it in for you, one of the researchers on the study, Marieke Gartner, called these suggestions, ‘a pretty far stretch.’
She says, ‘Cats don't want to bump you off… But people often don't know how to treat them and then are surprised by their behaviour.’
As well as this, cats also displayed positive traits such as being playful, inquisitive, and clever - so it's not all bad.
Psychologist Dr Max Watchel agrees to an extent. He says, ‘They're cute and furry and cuddly, but we need to remember when we have cats as pets, we are inviting little predators into our house.
‘For a lot of people, it is worth it. Cats can be fantastic, sweet companions. Until they turn on you.’
So there you have it. Your adorable kitty won't actually eat you for breakfast - but it probably would if it could. So we can all rest easy, then...
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