Cats Inherit Behavioral
The study found that behavioral traits in cats are inherited. The results of the ground-breaking study F revealed that behavioral variations between cat breeds are both hereditary and highly heritable.
We already know that every cat has a unique personality. While others can become grumpy and even hostile, others are more in touch with their hunter instincts and thrive for adventure. Some cats are endearing, kind, and social creatures. For a few cat breeds in particular, this is very true. A Siamese and a Scottie Fold are completely different breeds not just in appearance but also in temperament and disposition. Why do these contrasts and variances exist, then? Science says that your cat got it from her mother.
The heritability of feline characteristics was the subject of the first study of its sort, which was reported in Nature Research. The scientific team from Helsinki examined characteristics such as activity level, sociability with people, shyness, aggression, and stereotypical behavior in three different cat breeds: the Maine Coon, Ragdoll, and Turkish Van. Other factors like age and surroundings had a big impact on the activity and stereotyped habits of the feline subjects, two variants that could be noticed. With little less than half of a cat’s behavioral traits proving to be inherited from the parents, the researchers were able to discover a pattern of highly heritable behaviors.
Researchers have not yet put out an explanation for why some behavioral traits appear to be highly heritable. It’s likely that decades of selective breeding have left their mark in a variety of ways, or that specific physical traits have particular habits ingrained in them. The most important part, however, is that this study added to the second-largest body of knowledge on feline behavior in the world while also drawing attention to the unique personalities of cats, even those of the same breed. It provides possibilities for further research on our intriguing animal pals by providing data on 6,000 cats of 40 different breeds.
