EXPRESS: The hormonal effects of owner-cat interactions on pet cats of different potential attachment styles.
He X, Huang H, Chang H, Xu W, Gui C, Pan J, Yan H, Guo Y, Avilas-Rosa E, Yang B, Deng B, Zhang L · Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery · 5 August 2026
Tailor owner-cat interactions to individual attachment styles, prioritizing passive contact to reduce stress and improve welfare.
This study investigated how different types of owner-cat interactions influence physiological stress and bonding markers in pet cats with varying attachment styles. Twenty pet cats were classified as secure, insecure-anxious, or insecure-avoidant using the Secure Base Test. Owners conducted four distinct interaction types at home on separate days, with salivary cortisol and oxytocin collected pre- and post-interaction as physiological indicators of stress and bonding, respectively. Results demonstrated significant interactive effects between attachment style and time, and between interaction type and time, for both hormones. Passive interactions were associated with increased oxytocin and decreased cortisol, indicating reduced stress and enhanced bonding. Conversely, forced interactions produced the opposite hormonal pattern, suggesting increased stress and diminished bonding. Secure cats displayed more favorable hormonal responses to human contact compared to insecure cats, which exhibited either cortisol elevations or minimal hormonal changes. Notably, insecure cats demonstrated higher basal oxytocin levels than secure cats, potentially reflecting chronic compensatory mechanisms or baseline anxiety. These findings underscore that the quality and style of human-cat interactions have measurable physiological consequences that vary according to individual attachment profiles. Clinically, veterinary professionals and cat owners should tailor interaction strategies to a cat's specific attachment style, favoring passive or cat-initiated contact, particularly for insecure cats, to optimize feline welfare and strengthen the human-animal bond.
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