Studies have proven that your cat is actually a tiny lion

The famous old joke (to her already more than half a century) that God created a cat, carried away by transistor technologies, as it turned out, is not far from the truth. Every cat, despite its compact size, in character, habits and common behavioral manners resembles a lion, a tiger, a leopard or a panther. This was confirmed by scientists from the University of Edinburgh, having conducted a series of studies at the Bronx Zoo.

Comparison of different cats

First of all, experts in the psychology of animals interested in how cats perceive people. Most likely, they consider us rather stupid creatures, walking for some reason on their hind legs (after all, on the four are much more convenient!), In some way helping them, giving them something to eat, but not at all able to hunt. Scottish scientists compared an ordinary domestic cat with her wild "sister" (Felis Silvestris grampia), a smoky leopard (Neofelis Nebulosa), a snow leopard (Panthera Uncia) and an African lion (Panthera Leo). They were to assess the personal characteristics of representatives of these species. For this, the methods previously used in determining the human psychotype were used.

Research model

For each species, a five-factor model was constructed, similar to that used by psychiatrists to describe human beings. It should be specially noted that both the cat and the lion were subjected to such analysis for the first time. The novelty of the method, according to the plan of the researchers, contributed to a better understanding of the evolution of certain psychological characteristics. So, the five parameters on which the assessment was carried out, in a simplified form, include the following categories:

- Openness is a common desire to obtain new information and experience.

- Conscientiousness is the same as usually understood by self-discipline.

- Extraversion - the breadth of experience (in contrast to its depth).

- Pleasure - the ability to take care of social harmony.

- Neurotism - the propensity to stress and the depth of perception of negative emotions.

In fact, scientists used several more factors, breaking each of them into a series of subsets. However, in order to obtain a general idea of the nature of the research, a general scheme is sufficient.

Are cats and lions terrible?

Like any scientific research, this work also had a number of limitations. For example, only domestic animals were monitored. They were used methods of assessing the structure of the human personality, which, perhaps, would be more appropriate when studying the psyche of primates. Nevertheless, a series of experiments gave very interesting results. After analyzing each of the subjects (and there were several hundred of them), scientists found with a high degree of probability that according to a set of parameters (on a seven-point scale) the desire for dominance, impulsiveness (negative equivalent of conscientiousness) and neuroticism, the usual domestic cat is almost completely analogous to the African lion. The result was somewhat unexpected, since her "closest relative" is considered a steppe cat. However, objective data persistently testify to the presence of pronounced features of lion's behavior (quick temper and lack of foresight).

This fact does not mean that every domestic cat dreams to bite its owner, and only a lack of strength prevents it from doing so. And lions are characterized by a combination of striving for domination with concessions and conscientiousness. These "kings of nature" are able to live in peace with the surrounding beings. Learn from them people ...