Playing fetch sounds like a distinctive dog activity. However, what if I told you that cats also engage in it? A recent study published in PLOS ONE dives deep into the fetching behaviors of both cats and dogs, showing that our feline friends may be more “doggy” than we thought.

The study, conducted by researchers from Purdue University and the University of Pennsylvania, gathered data from two large behavioral surveys—the Feline Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire (Fe-BARQ) and the Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ). These surveys captured responses from over 8,200 cat owners and more than 73,000 dog owners worldwide, providing a substantial dataset to explore.

Fetching, as it turns out, is common among both cats and dogs.

About 41% of cats were reported to engage in fetching behaviors “sometimes,” “usually,” or “always.” In contrast, 78% of dogs demonstrated fetching behavior. Sure, that’s more than cats, but dog owners are also more likely to attempt this game in the first place.

Which breeds are more likely to fetch?

For dogs, fetching often comes naturally. Their domestication history is filled with selective breeding for behaviors like retrieval. Unsurprisingly, retrievers, Spaniels, and Pointers — dogs bred for hunting — naturally excel at fetch. The study confirmed that breeds within these groups were more likely to fetch than others, supporting the idea that fetching is a behavior ingrained through both genetics and training.

Meanwhile, in cats, it was Burmese, Siamese, and Tonkinese cats that were most likely to fetch. These breeds all have ancestors that were taken to the Far East during early cat domestication. Still, it’s unclear how this relates to fetching.

It might be due to their unique genetic backgrounds and possible historical roles that are now lost to time. For instance, these cats could have been selectively bred or favored in certain cultures for their playful and interactive natures, leading to a higher prevalence of fetching behavior.

Your cat probably wants to play with you

But why would cats, known for their solitary hunting style, engage in fetching?

The study suggests multiple factors. One hypothesis is that fetching in cats is an extension of their play behavior, closely linked to their predatory instincts. In the wild, cats perform a sequence of hunting behaviors — stalking, chasing, pouncing, grabbing, and biting. Fetching, in this sense, could be a playful form of this natural predation sequence. Basically, your cat is practicing hunting or some aspects of it.

However, there’s another aspect to it: interaction with humans.

The study found that fetching behavior in cats was highly correlated with other playful activities, like running, jumping, and interactive play with humans. This could suggest that, for many cats, fetching might be another form of enriching play — a game that mimics hunting but in a domestic, safe environment. But it could also hint at cats enjoying their interactions with humans.

Interestingly, there was another factor that made cats less likely to play fetch: the presence of dogs in the household. This could be because multi-pet households might alter the dynamics of play. They may make it less likely for individual animals to engage in fetching, especially if the other pet shows dominant or competitive behavior around toys.

Fetching is reinforced in dogs. What if we reinforced it in cats as well?

This isn’t the first study to suggest that playing fetch is pretty natural for cats. Previous research from 2023 came to a similar conclusion, suggesting that fetching may be an innate behavior for many cats.

Playing fetch with your cat sounds pretty strange, but if we reinforce the practice of fetching when our dogs do it, what if we did the same thing for cats? If cats do it spontaneously, we can also practice it and interact with them.

Studies have consistently shown that cats enjoy playtime and spending time with humans. Fetch could be a good activity to create some quality bonding time with your cat. If we positively reinforce the act of fetching by praising or rewarding pets, the behavior will be more likely to occur.

However, there’s much we don’t know about cat fetching.

The study opens up several avenues for future research. There is a need to more deeply explore the genetic components that might predispose certain animals to fetch and to differentiate between spontaneous and trained fetching behaviors more clearly. Additionally, understanding the role of the human-animal bond in these behaviors could provide further insights into how our interactions shape our pets’ actions.

Whether you’re a cat lover or a dog enthusiast or just curious about the world around you, understanding these behaviors enriches our appreciation for the animals who share our lives and homes.

“Although cats and dogs are very different in many aspects of their behavior and in how they ended up being companion animals, we find it fascinating that so many of them share this very interesting behavior—fetching. We hope that our study will encourage further exploration of how fetching is related to play, hunting and social interactions in both cats and dogs.”

Journal Reference: Mikel M. Delgado et al, Making fetch happen: Prevalence and characteristics of fetching behavior in owned domestic cats (Felis catus) and dogs (Canis familiaris), PLOS ONE (2024). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0309068