The traditional game of dogs with their owners involves throwing a stick, ball, or other object so that the pet can run after it, grab it, and bring it back. Of course, it is the owner who throws, while the dog swiftly rushes after the toy.
Although the game is considered exclusively a dog activity, cats also participate in it. They do not just chase a ball or a toy mouse across the floor; they actually pick it up and bring it back to a person, hinting that they want it thrown again. Perhaps this type of play is not as common among cats as it is among dogs, but there are cats that eagerly engage in it. For example, Elizabeth Renner's cat from Northumbria University suggested to its owner to play this game, prompting her to think about how exactly cats master such entertainments. Together with colleagues from the University of Sussex, she conducted a survey among cat owners about the game of fetch: whether they trained their pets to play it, how often they played, what items they preferred to have thrown, and so on.
As a result, the researchers collected data from over nine hundred cat owners whose pets play (or have played) the dog game. In more than 94% of cases, the cats were not trained, meaning they start playing without any training, which suggests that this behavior is instinctive. Most cats begin to play in this way while still kittens, or within their first year of life. However, even at a more mature age, many cats also start to show interest in chasing thrown balls and toys, while only a few discover this fun after the age of seven.
Cats play longer and more often when they take the initiative and bring the toy to their owner first. If a person starts throwing the toy before the cat gets bored, one can be sure that the pet will hint to the owner about wanting to continue the game. Cats set their own rules. Some bring the toy directly to the person so that they do not have to get up, others stop halfway, and some throw the toy further away from the owner, as if it becomes harder for them to carry it each time. Some cats prefer to play only in one room, while others only with a specific person.
Regarding the items, 38.4% of cats prefer to have toys thrown to them, 25.3% like something spherical, such as crumpled paper or foil. Next come hair ties, drinking straws, bottle caps, pencils, and so on. Naturally, size matters. There are very picky cats that only play with one specific item, such as cotton swabs. All this data, as well as much more, is presented in an article in the journal Scientific Reports, which includes figures, tables, and graphs. We hope that the Ig Nobel Committee will not overlook this fascinating publication.
The results of the study raise questions that could form the basis for further research. For example, some experts believe that it should not be unequivocally stated that cats master such a game without any training. Perhaps we, unknowingly, encourage cats to take the appropriate actions, such as dropping and picking up crumpled paper, hair ties, and other items. Careful and prolonged observations of both the owners and the cats are necessary here. It is also interesting to find out whether the cat is simply entertaining itself with the game or if it is communicating with the person in this way (while entertaining itself). Finally, it is worth checking what percentage of cats is generally inclined to such games and what influences this inclination. Researchers found that among purebred cats, Siamese, Bengal, and Ragdoll cats most often engage in the dog game; however, breed is not the only factor in playfulness. Overall, there is still much work to be done in this area.
