"This suggests that domestication, sharing our home, and forming close bonds are not sufficient to produce spontaneous, human-like helping behaviour. Cats were significantly less likely to show spontaneous object-related behaviours when it did not directly benefit them."
"In certain contexts, dogs tend to spontaneously help their human caregivers to a similar degree as 16-24-month-old children, even in the absence of a direct reward. But when the object was a cat's toy or food, they approached it at a similar rate to dogs and children."
"The findings are attributed to the fact cats 'domesticated themselves' and were never selectively bred for their co-operation. In evolutionary terms, dogs were bred for herding or hunting - cats were never specifically selected for their ability to be helpful to humans."
A study from Eotvos Lorand University compared how untrained pet dogs, pet cats, and toddlers aged 16-24 months responded to a person searching for a hidden object. Dogs and children showed similar helping behavior, with over 75% indicating the object's location or retrieving it. Cats, however, paid attention but rarely helped, except when the hidden item was their own treat or toy. Researchers concluded that cats only engaged in helping behavior when it directly benefited them. This difference stems from evolutionary history: dogs were selectively bred for cooperation and herding, while cats essentially domesticated themselves and were never bred for human cooperation. The findings suggest that shared homes and close bonds alone do not produce spontaneous helping behavior in cats.
Read at Mail Online
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