The researchers conducted an experiment involving not only domestic animals but also small children. It turned out that not everyone is ready to help.
It is commonly believed that dogs love their humans, while cats merely allow that human to love them. Some pets start to miss their owner just a minute after they leave the house, while others won't get off the couch when the owner returns home.
But how will cats and dogs behave when they realize that a person needs their help? Is selfless empathy characteristic of them? To answer these questions, researchers from Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary conducted an intriguing experiment, the results of which were published in the journal Animal Behaviour.
In the study, specialists involved domestic cats, dogs, and small children for a comparative analysis. For all three groups, the experts modeled the same situation: their "parent" needed help.
The experiment was designed to eliminate the influence of animal training or previous experience: the researchers were interested in spontaneous behavior. Each time, either small children, cats, or dogs remained in the room, where the experimenter hid an unfamiliar object in a specific place in their presence.
After that, a person entered the room — the parent of the child or the owner of the pet — and began searching for the hidden item. The volunteer had to show through facial expressions and gestures that they were puzzled and needed help, but without asking for assistance.
The researchers recorded the behavior of the subjects:
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whether they looked at the person or at the place where the object was hidden,
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whether they approached the person,
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whether they tried to manipulate the object,
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whether they pointed at it,
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whether they handed it to the person.
An analogous scene was repeated a second time, but this time, a valuable item — a favorite toy or treat — was hidden in front of the children and animals.
The results showed: both children and animals expressed interest in the searching person. They observed them, occasionally looking at the place where the object was hidden. However, the subsequent strategies of behavior differed significantly.
Children and dogs tried to help the adult: they approached the place where the object was hidden, gestured and looked at it, and it did not matter to them whether they were searching for a beneficial or non-beneficial item.
Cats, however, behaved differently. When a person searched for something they did not need, they did not attempt to help at all. However, when their favorite toy or treat was being searched for, the animals' behavior changed — like dogs and children, they began to approach the correct location, looking at the right point, showing in every way that the object was indeed there.
Based on this, the scientists concluded that dogs and children are inclined toward altruism, while cats primarily seek their own benefit. When considering only animal behavior, genetics must also be mentioned. Despite being domesticated by humans, cats are solitary hunters by nature, while dogs are used to living in packs, helping each other. This may also explain the peculiarities of animal behavior. However, the researchers still lean toward the idea that dogs are more inclined than cats to empathize with humans.
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