Study Finds Some Cats Share Babies’ Shy Temperament

WHO:

Gizmodo - Lead author Madoka Hattori is a cat researcher at Kyoto University in Japan.

Gizmodo - Hattori and her colleagues conducted the research; more than 300 cat owners participated in surveys.

Gizmodo - Male cats and cats born as strays were more likely to show the fearful-but-curious behavior associated with infant-like shyness.

Gizmodo - Hattori said, “I hope this research encourages people to reconsider stereotypes such as ‘dogs are friendly’ or ‘cats are aloof.’ Animal personalities are much more diverse and complex than these labels suggest.”

Gizmodo - Hattori said, “I hope people will take the time to understand each cat as an individual.”

Phys.org - The study was conducted by Madoka Hattori at Kyoto University, Japan, and colleagues.

WHAT:

Gizmodo - The researchers surveyed cat owners about cats’ fearfulness, shyness, and sociability around unfamiliar people and things.

Gizmodo - Survey responses suggested four groups: highly sociable cats with little fear; fearless, sociable cats less likely to approach strangers; fearful cats that avoided strangers; and fearful cats that remained curious and likely to approach unfamiliar things.

Gizmodo - The last group showed a mixture of fear and curiosity resembling the shyness seen in human infants.

Gizmodo - The more fearful cats were, the more shy they tended to be. Researchers said cat shyness did not exactly match infant shyness.

Gizmodo - The study’s findings were published in the journal *PLOS One*.

Phys.org - The study reported that some cats display a complex mixture of fear and curiosity similar to shyness observed in human infants.

WHERE:

Gizmodo - The research was conducted by scientists in Japan, including researchers at Kyoto University.

Gizmodo - Hattori said future behavioral observations could be collected in cats’ homes with owners’ help.

WHY:

Gizmodo - Hattori said understanding individual cat personalities may someday help people raise cats and improve outcomes for cats in shelters.

HOW:

Gizmodo - The researchers used multiple rounds of owner surveys to assess cats’ responses to novelty; they said direct behavioral study is a next step.

Gizmodo - Hattori said researchers visiting cats at home may change their behavior, so owner collaboration and citizen-science observations could be useful.

Phys.org - The findings came from a study published in *PLOS One*.

(UPDATED November 4, 2026 22:06 UTC)

Researchers found some cats combine fear and curiosity in ways resembling shyness in human infants. Surveys of more than 300 owners identified four personality groups, including curious, fearful cats. Male cats and former strays were more likely to show this distinctive behavior.