Exploring women’s oxytocin responses to interactions with their pet cats

Abstract

Background Extensive research has evaluated the involvement of the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) in human social behaviors, including parent-infant relationships. Studies have investigated OT’s connection to human attachment to nonhuman animals, with the majority of the literature focusing on domestic dogs (Canis lupis familiaris). Utilizing what is known about OT and its role in maternal-infant and human-dog bonding, we apply these frameworks to the study of human-domestic cat (Felis catus) interactions. Methods We investigated changes in salivary OT levels in 30 U.S. women of reproductive age before and after two conditions: reading a book (control) and interacting with their pet cat. Participant and cat behavioral patterns during the cat interaction condition were also quantified to determine if differences in women’s OT concentrations were associated with specific human and cat behaviors. Results Our results revealed no changes in women’s OT levels during the cat interaction, relative to the control condition, and pre-cat interaction OT levels. However, differences in women’s OT concentrations were correlated with some human-cat interactions (e.g., positively with petting cat and cat approach initiation, negatively with cat agonistic behavior) but not all observed behaviors (e.g., use of gentle or baby voice) coded during human-cat interactions. Discussion This study is the first to explore women’s OT in response to interactions with their pet cat and has identified distinct human and cat behaviors that influence OT release in humans.

Family Member, Best Friend, Child or ‘Just’ a Pet, Owners’ Relationship Perceptions and Consequences for Their Cats

“…Young, single, and childless women might project their need to care on their cat(s). Supporting this hypothesis, identification as ‘a cat mom’ was found to be associated with the absence of human children in a small sample of women of reproductive age [ 29 ]. It has also been shown that pets can serve as an outlet for nurturing, especially for people without children [ 26 ].…”

“…Cats can fulfil their owner’s need for support, company, love and care [ 3 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]. Moreover, many cat owners describe the relationship with their cat in human terminologies such as family, friend, or child [ 27 , 28 , 29 ] which highlights the ‘human’ roles cats can have in their owner’s life. The aim of the present study is to explore how an anthropomorphic perception of the human–cat relationship is related to the living environments of cats.…”

Effects of Interactions with Cats in Domestic Environment on the Psychological and Physiological State of Their Owners: Associations among Cortisol, Oxytocin, Heart Rate Variability, and Emotions

“…Previous studies have shown that interactions with cats increases the positive emotions of owners [ 9 ] and decreases their heart rate and blood pressure [ 10 ]. Furthermore, it was recently reported that contact with cats also increases salivary oxytocin levels in owners [ 11 ]. Oxytocin is a peptide hormone that has diverse health effects [ 12 , 13 ].…”

Oxytocin levels and self-reported anxiety during interactions between humans and cows

“…Additionally, elevated peripheral OT has been found in dogs when interacting with humans (e.g., Odendaal and Meintjes, 2003 ; Handlin et al, 2011 , 2012 ; Rehn et al, 2014 ; López-Arjona et al, 2021 ), and intranasal OT administration to dogs has been reported to stimulate positive social interactions with people ( Romero et al, 2014 ; Hernádi et al, 2015 ). In female cat owners, a rise in peripheral OT concentration during a 15-min interaction was correlated with gentle petting, hugging/kissing and skin contact with the cat ( Johnson et al, 2021 ). A variety of non-noxious sensory stimuli associated with social contact, such as gentle touch, eye contact, verbal contact, and familiar odors, have been associated with a rise in peripheral OT ( Uvnäs-Moberg, 1998 ; Nagasawa et al, 2009 ; Seltzer et al, 2010 ), including pleasurable gentle touch on the forearms with a brush ( Portnova et al, 2020 ).…”