“If man could be crossed with the cat,” Mark Twain once wrote, “it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat.” The writer and humourist was a bit of an expert on the subject of feline personalities, having lived with up to 19 cats at a time and even seeking out feline companions while on vacation.
Anyone lucky enough to share a home with a cat has undoubtedly discovered the idiosyncrasies that make up each one’s unique personality. It turns out that analyzing a few specific factors can impart useful insights about the cat’s personality—and offer important clues for how their human companions should interact with them.
In 2017, scientists asked the owners of 2,802 domestic cats in Australia and New Zealand to use a seven-point scale to rate their pets for 52 personality traits, including playful, cooperative, self-assured, reckless, inquisitive, greedy, vocal, defiant, excitable, independent, shy, trusting, and predictable. The researchers then collated the results to come up with a set of personality factors now known as the Feline Five or the Big Five.
The Feline Five Personality Traits
1. Neuroticism
Neurotic cats present as shy, suspicious, anxious, and insecure. They’re skittish and often demonstrate a fear of people. Conversely, cats low on this scale appear trusting and calm and may act boldly.
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2. Extraversion
Extraverted cats are outgoing, active, curious, vigilant, decisive, smart, inventive, and open to new experiences. Cats with low scores on the extraversion scale may seem withdrawn, clumsy, and aimless.
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3. Dominance
Dominance refers to bullying behaviour and aggression, possibly resulting in injuries and stress for other animals (and people) in the household. A low dominance score indicates a friendly and submissive cat.
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4. Impulsiveness
Impulsive cats often behave erratically and restlessly. A low score on the impulsiveness scale suggests a well-adjusted cat with an enjoyable and predictable routine.
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5. Agreeableness
Agreeable cats are gentle, affectionate, well-adjusted, and friendly towards people and other animals. Cats with low scores on this scale may seem irritable, frustrated, solitary, and aggressive towards people.
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Analyzing a cat in terms of the Feline Five is useful for pet owners hoping to glean a deeper understanding of their animals. “It takes the complex phenomenon of personality and categorizes it into just five dimensions that are easy to understand and, in many parts, relatable to cat behaviour,” says Sarah Ellis, Head of Cat Mental Wellbeing and Behaviour at International Cat Care, a charity in the U.K.
“If we take the dimension of ‘openness’ [extraversion] versus ‘closed to experience’ [introversion] and a situation common to cats, such as going to the vet for a routine health check, we can quite easily apply this dimension,” Ellis explains. “Cats that have a personality that lies close to the ‘openness’ end of the spectrum are more likely to be curious in the consult room—they may physically explore, sniffing the floor and equipment and even interacting positively with the vet. Cats that lie closer to the ‘closed to experience’ end of the spectrum may be more likely to remain disengaged from the experience, perhaps remaining in their cat carrier when the door is opened.”
Ellis believes it’s worth taking the time to become familiar with the quirks of each cat’s personality. “We know that cats have very specific needs as a species—for example, they are all obligate carnivores, solitary survivalists, and use scent and pheromones to communicate to other cats—but each cat is also an individual,” she says. “Some cats are very bold and new things do not faze them, some are very sociable and enjoy physical interactions with people, while others are timid and cautious, some towards people, some towards the physical environment, and some towards both. By assessing a cat’s personality, we gain a greater understanding of who it is, what its likes and dislikes are, and are therefore able to better set up the environment and interact in a way that suits each individual cat, thus maximizing their physical health and mental wellbeing.”
“It’s worth taking the time to become familiar with the quirks of each cat’s personality.”
Linda Hall and Rita Reimers agree that the value of using the Feline Five lies in being better able to understand and respond to a cat’s specific needs. Hall and Reimers are the dynamic duo behind the 19 Cats and Counting podcast. (The “and Counting” part refers to the fact that neither woman can resist rescuing any cat in need.) Both are Certified Cat Behaviourists who regularly help stressed cat owners solve litter box issues, aggression, unwanted scratching, and other problems.
“You tailor your approach to your cat’s personality,” says Reimers. “A shier cat, a more reserved cat, is more cautious, maybe a little bit closer to her feral roots than, say, a cat that’s overly friendly. So you want to really make your moves small around those types of cats.”
“You have to work on their level,” says Hall, likening the situation to figuring out what a specific person may need. “If you’ve got a human in your life who tends to be skittish and has sensory issues, you’re not going to take them to the bar. You’re going to take them to a quieter restaurant. You’re just helping to facilitate their needs, and that’s all we need to do with cats.” She adds, “We all come with baggage—humans and animals alike.”
A neurotic cat may appreciate having several hiding places and quiet areas around the home to escape to, while an impulsive cat may respond well to stressors being removed from the environment. An extraverted cat may need constant stimulation in the form of new toys to play with, challenging environments to explore, and frequent social interactions with humans or other animals. A disagreeable cat might actually be displaying signs of a health problem or cognitive impairment and could benefit from a veterinary checkup. An owner who pays close attention to their cat’s specific personality traits is more likely to notice changes that could indicate the need to visit a vet or a cat behaviour specialist.
It’s also worth remembering that any cat may occasionally display some of the less pleasant of the Big Five, including anxiety and aggression, upon sensing a threat to resources such as food, water, or territory. “There is no concept of sharing out in nature,” Hall explains. “If I smell a stranger coming in, honey, they ain’t moving in to do mimosas and brunch with me! They’re gonna steal everything I’ve got.”
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A cat’s true personality may take some time to shine through in a new environment.
Reimers describes a 15-year-old cat she adopted. “She’s got a large-and-in-charge personality, but she was nervous for quite a while before she would trust me. It took two years before she would sit on my lap,” Reimers says. “Even though she was bold, she stayed reserved until she knew she could trust again.” A cat’s true personality may take some time to shine through in a new environment.
Hall and Reimers both mention more than once that in order to truly understand a cat’s personality, it’s vital to remember one key fact: everything a cat does is based on their own survival and the survival of their species. “Cats are both predator and prey in nature,” Hall says. “Danger’s all around. This is a cat’s life outside. They could be eaten at any minute.” Out in the wild, a cat’s very life depends on learning where the rewards and the dangers are.
Though it’s impossible to change the core personality of a cat, the same way it is with a human, by recognizing and understanding a cat’s key traits, you can tailor your actions to what the animal needs. “You can make an anxious cat more relaxed by how you interact with the cat and how you set up the atmosphere,” Reimers says. “Early on, in my 20s, when I was still pretty neurotic, as 20-year-olds can be, I had a cat named Precious, and Precious was just as persnickety as I was back then. I notice that as I’m older now, the kittens I acquire tend to be more laid-back because I am. So, I do think that they take their cues from you. They’re empaths.”
Hall agrees. “They’re picking up on our feelings,” she says. “They watch every facial expression, everything you do, and they know how you’re feeling.”
Occasionally, people misinterpret this extreme empathy, viewing it as cats fundamentally altering their personalities to mimic those of the people they live with, but that’s not the case. Reimers explains that the animals are merely responding to “the stimulus they’re getting from us.”
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Similarly, Ellis doesn’t believe that a cat’s personality ever actually changes to match an owner’s. “Personalities are relatively fixed in adults and their adult cats,” she says. “Instead, what may be happening is that owners are attracted to cats with personalities that are similar to their own or that they are more likely to ‘see’ the personality traits they recognize in themselves. This may not be a bad thing, as viewing someone or, in this case, a cat as similar to yourself can increase the caregiver’s bond to their cat.”
Perhaps cat owners should be rating themselves on the Feline Five, too?
Take the Feline Five Personality test at idrlabs.com/cat-personality/test.php
This article originally appeared in the award-winning Modern Cat magazine. Subscribe today!