They're renowned for being aloof – and now it turns out your pet cat really won't lift a paw if you need help. Researchers from Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary investigated how untrained pet dogs, pet cats and 16–24–month–old toddlers responded when a familiar person searched for a hidden object. The majority of dogs and children displayed similar behaviour patterns, with more than three–quarters either indicating where the object was or retrieving it. 'Cats were significantly less likely to show spontaneous object–related behaviours than dogs and children when it did not directly benefit them,' the team wrote. However, when the object hidden was a cat's own toy or food, they approached it at a similar rate to dogs and children.

Source: Daily Mail March 03, 2026 15:21 UTC