Research Shows Some Cats Share the Same Personality Traits as Therapy Dogs
Calm cat being held by person
Therapy dogs are a familiar presence in hospitals, university campuses, and care homes. Therapy cats are not — in the United States, they remain a rarity, largely because the assumption has always been that cats don't have the temperament for it. New research from Washington State University and researchers in Belgium suggests that assumption is not entirely accurate.
The study, published in the journal Animals and co-authored by WSU professor Patricia Pendry, surveyed hundreds of cat owners across Belgium using a standardized behavioral assessment. The goal was to identify what distinguished cats already participating in animal-assisted services (AAS) programs from the general cat population.
What the research found
The therapy cats showed a consistent behavioral profile: higher sociability with both humans and other cats, more attention-seeking behavior, and significantly greater tolerance for being handled — including being picked up, which most cat owners would describe as an exceptional tolerance in their own pets.
"There's this perception that cats just aren't suitable for this kind of work, but our study shows that some cats may thrive in these settings. It turns out that cats chosen to engage in AAS seem to exhibit the same behavioral traits as therapy dogs — like high sociability and a willingness to engage with people."
— Patricia Pendry, Washington State University · March 2025
The key nuance
Unlike therapy dogs, therapy cats are not typically trained for the role. They appear to naturally possess these traits. The cats are selected, not shaped.
What this tells us about cats more broadly
The study didn't examine breed differences — it compared individual cats within groups rather than between breeds. This is important: the results suggest that the relevant variable is individual temperament, not species or breed. Some cats are naturally well-suited to intensive human contact. Others are not. The distribution of this trait across the general cat population is wider than most people assume.
For owners, this research offers a reframe. The variability in how much cats appear to enjoy human contact is not simply a difference between "cats that like people" and "cats that don't." It may reflect something more structured — a set of measurable behavioral traits that, in the right individual, make cats genuinely equipped for roles previously assumed to belong exclusively to dogs.
