Cats recognise their owners' voices but never evolved to care, says study...

[TreasonousBastard]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/cats-recognise-their-owners-voices-but-never-evolved-to-care-says-study-8966580.html?utm_source=howtogeek&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter

[PoliticAverse]

1. lol. n/t

[BlueStreak]

2. That is largely true, but there is a wide variation among cats

We are involved in cat rescue so we become very familiar with about 40 cats a year, and have 15 or do in our house at any time, including 8-10 that are with us until they die. There actually are some cats that behave almost like dogs -- coming when called. They aren't reliable like dogs, but certainly show a lot more response than the ones the study tested.

The biggest difference between cats and dogs, it seems to me, is that while it takes most dogs about 30 nanoseconds to warm up to a new human, it may take a cat 9-12 months to reach the same level of receptiveness. And for some, it can take several years.

Don't adopt a cat unless you are willing to put in a very long-term effort to socialize them.

[TreasonousBastard]

3. 9-12 months? Could be, you have more experience than I do, but...

the four cats I've had took far less time. About two weeks was the most, but then we became inseparable.

Friends' cats, however, are usually standoffish and often take a long time to get comfortable with me, or any other guest. If they ever do.

The article talks about the difference in how we domesticated cats and dogs, but I suspect it has more to do with dogs descended from pack animals while cats are often solitary in the wild.

[BlueStreak]

4. Our cats are often ill and recently separated

from their mother or other stable environment.

Occasionally we find one that warms up quickly. Usually the cats take to one of us fairly quickly, but not both.