A study has found that while a pet dog or a toddler will help to search for a missing item, the feline of the family won’t lift a paw. Researchers from Eotvos Lorand University in Hungary studied the reactions of untrained pet dogs, pet cats and children aged 16-24 months to situations in which a familiar person is hunting for a hidden object. Dogs and children displayed similar behaviour, with more than three-quarters indicating where the object was or retrieving it. The team concluded ‘cats were significantly less likely to show spontaneous object-related behaviours when it did not directly benefit them’. In evolutionary terms, dogs were bred for herding or hunting – cats were never specifically selected for their ability to be helpful to humans.

Source: Daily Mail March 04, 2026 10:05 UTC