Both Dogs and Cats Can Love a Game of 'Fetch,' Study Finds

September 5, 2024
Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter

'Fetch': It's not just for dogs.

New research finds that lots of cats -- 41% -- love retrieving toys tossed by their human.

“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!," wrote a team led by Mikel Delgado, of Purdue University's College of Veterinary Medicine, in West Lafayette, Ind.

As the researchers note, the urge to fetch in pets probably has its roots deep in each animal's natural hunting behaviors.

But how common is it in long-domesticated animals, such as pet dogs and house cats?

To find out, Delgado's team analyzed responses to surveys sent to 74,000 dog owners and 8,000 cat owners between 2015 and 2023.

They found that 78% of dog owners said their canine would "sometimes, frequently or always attempt to fetch sticks, balls or other objects."

That was especially true for certain breeds, such as Labrador and Golden Retrievers (the clue is in the name), Collies and English Cocker Spaniels.

As the researchers pointed out, fetch-loving breeds were often bred to keep track of moving objects, such as herds of sheep.

In what might be a more surprising finding, 41% of cat owners also described their pet as fond of fetching.

That's a number that's higher than prior estimates, Delgado's group noted.

Indoor cats were more prone to fetching than outdoor cats, and friskier, more active cats tended to like a game of fetch most. Cat breeds where fetch behavior was common included Burmese, Siamese and Tonkinese cats, the survey showed.

For both dogs and cats, fetching was less common in females compared to males, and the behavior declined as animals aged or became ill, the researchers said.

The study was published Sept. 4 in the journal PLOS One.

According to the researchers, fetching's link to hunting may be fading in highly domesticated animals like cats and dogs. Instead, "in both species, initiating fetching by bringing a toy to a human caretaker appears to be an invitation to play," Delgado and colleagues concluded.

Are pets happy that their human gets to play, too? It might not matter, the team said.

"The animal may simply be using the human to perpetuate an inherently rewarding game of chase and catch," they theorized. "The fact that the human also finds the game rewarding may be irrelevant from the animal’s perspective."

More information

Want to make sure your cat isn't bored? Try these tips from The Humane Society of the United States.

SOURCE: PLOS One, news release, Sept. 4, 2024

Pets And Health