According to Psychology, What It Means When Someone Is Always Petting Cats

Campus stress-relief programs rarely feature cats, but a recent study suggests that those who need it most are already looking for it. The research, published in Anthrozoös, found that individuals with strong emotions are drawn to cat interactions during animal-assisted interventions.

Researchers surveyed over 1,400 university students and staff from more than 20 institutions, discovering a link between the personality trait of emotionality and a heightened interest in cat visitation programs. Emotionality is a dimension within the Big Five personality model, capturing how intensely a person feels emotions and how readily they react to them.

“Emotionality is a stable trait; it doesn’t fluctuate and is a consistent feature of our personalities,” said Patricia Pendry, a professor at Washington State University’s Department of Human Development and co-author of the study. “We found that people on the higher end of that scale were significantly more interested in interacting with cats on campus.”

Pendry and lead author Joni Delanoeije from KU Leuven in Belgium explored whether adding cats to campus stress reduction events would attract participation. Currently, over 85 percent of programs feature only dogs. The team also asked whether university employees wanted access to these interactions, as many staff members are often excluded.

Why Cats Calm Certain Personalities

The WSU findings complement separate research on the physical effects of human-cat contact. The Cornell Feline Health Center has highlighted research showing that ten minutes of petting a cat or dog lowers cortisol, a stress hormone, in human saliva. College students, who face high-pressure demands, were the subjects of that work.

A person who feels emotions vividly may gain something immediate from an interaction that quiets stress chemistry. Quiet touch with a cat seems to function as both prevention and relief. The Cornell center frames the exchange in straightforward terms, describing it as a simple method to reduce stress with few downsides. The repetitive motion of stroking, the texture of fur, and the sound of purring combine to support fast emotional settling.

Personality Outweighs Role or Status

Interest in cat interactions cut across demographic lines. The researchers found no meaningful gap between students and university employees. Personality traits predicted interest far more reliably than whether someone was studying or working on campus.

“We think of college student populations as being unique, and in several ways they are,” Delanoeije said. “But when we looked at university employees, the results were very similar: Personality mattered more than being a student or employee.”

The connection between emotionality and openness to cat visits held after accounting for prior cat ownership, identifying as female, and openness to dog programs. Allergies and phobia dampened interest, as expected, but the personality pattern remained statistically significant.

Pendry noted that the results challenge a common assumption. “Anecdotally, we’ve always been told that cat people are different from dog people, and that most students are not interested in interacting with cats,” she said. “Our results revealed that students are interested in interacting with cats and that this interest may be driven by personality traits.”

What Frequent Cat Contact Reveals

A habit of seeking feline contact tells researchers something about individual psychology. People who pet cats often tend to score higher in emotional sensitivity and empathy. They gravitate toward calm, low-stimulation environments and prefer bonds that feel genuine rather than demanding.

The cat-human bond itself reinforces this preference. Cats offer affection sparingly and rarely demand constant attention. For someone who finds more effusive animals overstimulating, that selectivity can feel safer and more restorative than interactions carrying heavier social expectations. The relationship runs on mutual pacing: the cat approaches when it wants contact and steps away when it does not.

Brief daily sessions of petting a cat can serve as everyday emotional regulation. The predictability of quiet companionship creates a reliable anchor during moments of fatigue or tension. Physical touch, paired with the sensory calm of a purring animal, interrupts the body’s stress loop in a way that repeats easily. Contact also stimulates oxytocin, a hormone tied to attachment and calm, which may reinforce the behavior over time.

Closing the Dog-Centric Gap

Structured animal-assisted interventions rely heavily on dogs. A larger supply of trained canine therapy animals exists, and dogs carry a reputation for predictable sociability. Pendry addressed that perception directly.

“There’s a perception that dogs exist to please people,” she said. “While I may describe cats as ‘discerning,’ they are often perceived as unpredictable, aloof, or finicky, traits that can be difficult for some to be around.”

The data suggests that leaving cats out narrows the reach of stress-reduction work precisely among those who might respond to it most. Letting people choose between a cat, a dog, or both could pull in participants whose personality profiles make canine-only events a poor fit.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers practical guidance for anyone handling cats more often. The CDC recommends washing hands with soap and water after touching cats, their food and water dishes, or litter boxes. Cats can carry germs that pass to humans even when the animal looks healthy. These steps do not cancel out the emotional benefits. They provide a basic framework for safe, repeated contact.