Edited by: Ingrid King. Last updated: February 6, 2023 by Crystal Uys

You may have seen the headlines: “Study: Cats Can Legitimately Be Psychopaths.” “Is your cat a psychopath? Probably, say researchers. “If cats were people, they’d probably be psychopaths, say scientists.” I recoiled every time I saw one of these titles, not only because they are simply ridiculous and ultimately harmful to cats, but also because the referenced study is extremely flawed.

Feline behaviorist Mikel Delgado, PhD, who has worked with cats for over 20 years and was a postdoctoral researcher at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis, has published a full article debunking this ridiculous study.

“The authors suggest that there has been a lack of research on feline psychopathy as there is no questionnaire available to explore these traits in cats. Rather, I might say there is no point in studying something that doesn’t really exist. writes Mikel. As she delved deeper into the study, she found herself wondering “are these researchers lived with cats?

I encourage you to read Mikel’s post on his excellent blog, What Your Cat Wants – and to cut to the chase, no, your cat is not a psychopath!

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