Cats that fetch are more common than you might think. New study finds 41% of felines retrieve

The next time you hear “go fetch” don’t assume it’s for a dog. 

Cats like to engage in the playful behavior more than people might think. A new study from researchers at the University of Purdue and the University of Pennsylvania found that 41% of cats fetch, compared with about 78% of dogs.

Mikel Delgado, a senior research scientist at Purdue who led the study, said prior to their research, it was well established that some cats play fetch. (Previous studies have documented fetching behavior among felines.) What stood out to Delgado was just how many cats retrieve. 

“Given that cats have an (undeserved) reputation for being aloof and independent, it was great to hear that so many cats engage in this behavior with their humans,” the Purdue researcher told CBS News via email. “It adds to the increasing understanding that cats do have complex social interactions with humans, that include engaging in this specific form of play.”

What researchers found about fetching

Delgado, along with her Purdue colleagues Judith Stella and Candace Croney and James Serpell from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine, surveyed 8,224 cat owners and 73,724 dog owners. The researchers wanted to determine not just how many cats and dogs fetch, but what characteristics make them more or less likely to chase down and retrieve toys. To that end, they folded in survey questions for owners about their pets’ behaviors, sociability and characteristics.

What they found: An animals’ sex, breed, living situation and health all play a role in their tendency to fetch. For both cats and dogs, fetching was more likely in younger males, healthier animals and those in households without other dogs.

A pet’s breed also factored into whether they engage in the back-and-forth interactions with their owners. In line with previous research, Purdue scientists found certain breeds, like border collies, golden retrievers, Labrador retrievers and German shepherds, are more likely to fetch. 

Among cats, felines with roots in the Eastern Hemisphere were more likely to fetch more than, say, domestic longhairs. According to the research findings, some of the top cat breeds that fetch are Abyssinians, Bengals, Siamese and Siberians.

Why animals fetch

Why do animals fetch in the first place? Delgado said hunting and retrieving their kill is part of predatory behavior.

“The physical behaviors that happen during fetching in both cats and dogs overlap with many aspects of hunting, primarily chasing/pursuit and capture of prey,” Delgado said.

Many dogs have been bred to help humans with hunting by chasing and grabbing — but not killing — prey and then bringing them back to humans, making their connection to fetching less opaque. Cats don’t have the same history of helping humans hunt but Delgado said when they hunt on their own, they do carry prey to a safer place before they eat it. “It is possible that this tendency to carry prey is contributing to a cat’s expression of fetching,” Delgado said.

Delgado and her fellow researchers also think a cat’s tendency to fetch could be linked to how sociable it is. They postulate that breeds that fetch are more likely to be interested in creating human connection. “Siamese cats are highly interested in people,” Delgado said in a write-up about the research.

Can you train a cat to fetch?

Some cats fetch, unprompted, without any training from their owner. A cat owner herself, Delgado said she never trained her three kittens to fetch, and that they started engaging in the behavior spontaneously. “It was an interesting surprise,” said Delgado. “It’s very cute.”

A 2023 study suggests that fetching is most successful when cats initiate the fetching. That doesn’t rule out the possibility of training; however, fetching may be more complicated for kitties to learn than other traditional tricks like sit or high five, Delgado told CBS News.

“Fetching has many steps to it, including chasing the toy, picking up the toy and carrying the toy back to you, so this would be considered a very complex behavior to train,” she said.

The Purdue researcher says it’s best to start small and then work up to more challenging tricks. Positive reinforcement — rewarding with a treat — could also help. Delgado recommends turning to the Cat School, an online resource with training tutorials, for tips.