Why Cats and Dogs Both Love Fetching

Many people are familiar with dogs playing fetch, yet cats can join in too. Although their approaches to hunting and play differ greatly, fetching seems to bring together predatory and social behaviour in both species.

Cats and dogs have markedly different domestication histories and natural habits, but they also have plenty in common. Both are predators, both live alongside humans, and both can enjoy complex social relationships with us.

In our recently published study, more than 40% of the cats included in our survey data were reported to play fetch, compared with almost 80% of dogs.

We also identified several possible explanations for fetching, including play, selection through domestication and the effects of learning.

Limited research into cats and dogs fetching

Our research team was particularly interested when British scientists published a 2023 study examining important features of fetching in cats. They surveyed 924 owners whose cats fetched and discovered that the animals retrieved a broad range of items, including pet toys, paper balls, pens, bottle tops and even shoes.

Most intriguingly, the cats had generally not been taught to fetch; instead, they displayed the behaviour spontaneously. They also preferred to initiate a game of fetch themselves, and were more likely to play when they brought a toy to their person than when the person threw one.

Before that study, scientists had paid little attention to fetching in cats. However, because the review included only owners of cats that fetched, it could not compare them with cats that did not. We wanted to know whether certain features of the cats themselves made some more inclined to fetch than others.

Dogs raised questions too. Fetch is among the most frequent types of play shared by dogs and people. Many dogs have been bred and selected specifically to help humans hunt by retrieving prey. We expected to find extensive research on fetching in dogs, but found that dog behaviour studies rarely considered it.

Fluffy, fetch the ball!

To address this gap, our team worked with University of Pennsylvania researcher James Serpell, who created two survey tools for evaluating cat and dog behaviour.

The surveys asked basic questions about each animal's breed, age and home environment, then included dozens of behavioural questions. These covered characteristics such as predatory behaviour, sociability towards humans, activity levels and fearfulness. Both surveys also asked about fetching.

We used the survey findings from thousands of cat and dog owners to investigate how widespread fetching is, and which characteristics of cats, dogs and their environments are likely to predict it.

Fetching was considerably more common in cats than we had expected. More than 40% of cat owners reported that their cat "sometimes, usually, or always" fetched. We also produced the first estimate of how prevalent fetching is in dogs: nearly 78% of dogs in the data were said to fetch.

Notably, males in both species were more likely to fetch. Older animals and those with health issues were less likely to be fetchers, whether they were cats or dogs. In both species, living with a dog also reduced the likelihood that the surveyed animal would fetch.

Breed-related differences were apparent as well, particularly in dogs. Breeds recognised for responding to human direction and showing an interest in toys, including German shepherd dogs, golden retrievers and Labrador retrievers, were among those most likely to fetch. By contrast, hounds and livestock guardian dogs were among the least likely.

In dogs, fetching was linked with trainability regardless of breed. This suggests that early selection of dogs as human helpers may be important, dating back long before people began developing distinct dog breeds.

There are many fewer cat breeds than dog breeds, and our study included fewer pedigree cats than dogs. Even so, we found breed differences in cats too. Siamese, Tonkinese, Burmese and Bengals were the cats most likely to fetch.

Fetching was associated with activity levels. Cats more likely to run, jump, interact with unfamiliar objects in the home and begin play with their owners were also more likely to fetch.

From hunting to a game of catch

The origins of fetching are rooted in the hunting methods of both species. Cats are stalk-and-rush hunters: they creep towards prey before pouncing at the right moment. Dogs are thought to be pursuit predators, chasing prey across longer distances.

The development of breeds has changed the usual sequence of predatory behaviour in dogs: orient, eye, stalk, chase, grab-bite, kill-bite.

Dog breeds selected for heightened or more frequent "chase and/or grab-bite" behaviour, including pointers and retrievers, are more inclined to fetch and less likely to finish the predatory sequence with a "kill-bite."

Yet cats and dogs both carry prey away from the site of a kill, which could also help explain how behaviour such as fetch developed.

Cats are often considered independent and aloof, but recent research has shown that they can form attachments to humans, learn social signals from us and even recognise their owner's voice.

We hope our study further encourages people to appreciate that cats can have loving relationships with humans, particularly when these popular pets are properly socialised and given an enriching, safe environment. This can include fetch, if that is what your cat enjoys.

Despite all the differences between dogs and cats, we find it charming that they have arrived at a similar behaviour: fetching. Fetch also demonstrates the influence of the human-animal relationship. Humans evidently have an important role in fetching, even if cats and dogs merely see us as the thing that makes a toy move for them to chase.

Mikel Delgado, Senior Research Scientist, College of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University and Judith Stella, Senior Research Scientist, College of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article.