Why cats bring toys to their owners

Researchers from the USA decided to understand why cats willingly play "fetch" and which breeds are most prone to this behaviour. The results of their work are published in the journal PLOS One.

Dogs are known for their affinity for playing with objects, due to their history of domestication and hunting instincts. However, cats, it turns out, also often bring toys to their owners.

Researchers analysed data collected from 73,724 dog owners and 8,224 cat owners from 151 countries. They rated their pets' behaviour on a five-point scale, including answering questions about finding and returning items.

Expectedly, around 78% of dogs fetch items when asked by their owner, but surprisingly, almost 41% of cats also exhibited this behaviour - much more than previously thought. The study found that in cats, this is more often associated with playfulness rather than hunting instincts as in dogs. Male cats are more prone to this behaviour than females, which was an unexpected finding for the researchers.

Scientists also found that breeds with oriental roots, such as Siamese, Burmese and Tonkin cats, were more likely to fetch toys. Among dogs, retrievers, poodles, pointers and spaniels were found to be such breeds.

Researchers continue to study this behaviour and put forward several hypotheses: perhaps the hunt for a toy became established during the domestication process, or it is a type of social game developed in cats.