A new study published in the journal Animals found that a group of 7 personality and behavior traits are common to virtually all domestic cats.

Researchers gathered cat personality data from a data set of over 4300 cat owners.  They factored breed differences into account to come up with their list.

What are the common traits?

• Activity/playfulness
• Fearfulness
• Aggression towards humans
• Sociability towards humans
• Sociability towards cats
• Litterbox issues
• Excessive grooming

An article on the study from the website Science Alert notes that different breeds do have distinct personality traits.  For example, the Russian Blue tends to be the most fearful, the Persian the most passive, and the Bengal the most active.

According to one of the lead researchers, a greater knowledge of cat personality traits and behaviors is important because “We need more understanding and tools to weed out problematic behavior and improve cat welfare. The most common behavioral challenges associated with cats relate to aggression and inappropriate elimination [urinating or defecating in the house].”

A better understanding of feline characteristics will hopefully lead to fewer cats in shelters!  For more information on what makes cats tick, check out our blog article on the “Feline 5” cat personality types.