An experiment shows that cats prefer to be served instead of being active themselves. This is quite unusual in the animal world.
Cats like to be served. What cat owners have long suspected has now been confirmed by a study in the Trade journal Animal Cognition. Behavioral biologist Mikel Delgado and her colleagues from the University of California investigated whether cats like to work for their food. The result: if they choose freely, they prefer to have a free meal. That the cats shy away from the effort sounds logical at first. In fact, their behavior in the animal world is quite unique: Many other animals prefer to have done something for their food.
Pigs and chickens prefer to solve tasks instead of getting something without any effort
The 17 cats in the study, however, were pretty much in agreement: when choosing between a food puzzle and an open plate, the vast majority opted for the latter. The food puzzle consisted of a nested box in which the cats could see the food, but could only use one paw to get it out. All cats were able to handle the obstacle, they had been accustomed to it before the attempt. Although four cats ate all of the food from both plates within the trial period, they preferred to use the simple plate. Two cats completely refused to eat from the puzzle box and instead ate from their usual bowl at the end of the experiment. The cats’ preferences also had no discernible correlation with their usual activity. Fit and lazy cats all preferred the comfortable solution.
Pigs, grizzly bears or chickens, on the other hand, usually decide in experiments to do a task for their food – even if the same food could be obtained without any effort. In the wild, it is normal for animals to work for their food, they have to look for it or hunt it. According to the researchers, it is relatively unclear why animals without any pressure to survive voluntarily choose to spend more time. Boredom and the need to explore the environment could explain why animals enjoy doing tasks. The reverse phenomenon, on the other hand, has so far been little investigated.
Delgado believes that just because cats prefer to be served while they eat cannot be described as lazy across the board. In the wild, too, cats save their energy between hunting trips. The researcher also suspects that the food puzzles in the experiment simply did not arouse the domestic cats’ hunting instinct. When hunting mice, one can certainly observe playful tendencies in them. Despite the cats’ clear preferences, Delgado advises not only serving them food: “Food puzzles can slow down fast-eaters, stimulate cats mentally and keep them occupied.” Indoor cats in particular often lack distraction and are prone to obesity.