In Conversation with … PhD student, Alex Elford, University of Liverpool

The PAWS program, led by Waltham Petcare Science Institute in collaboration with leading academic institutions and experts, is set to become the world’s largest, multi-year research program exploring human-animal relationships and their impact on mental health and wellbeing.

Tell us about the study you are currently working on.

I’m part of the team working on Cats and the ‘Good Life’: Investigating the association between the cat-owner relationship and owner mental wellbeing. We are interested in how the bond between people and their cats, and the experience of cat ownership, may impact the mental wellbeing of cat owners in the UK. The project incorporates a large-scale, mixed methods survey with in-depth interviews, gathering both statistical and qualitative data from cat owners to explore any associations between the owner’s relationship with their cat and a range of mental wellbeing outcomes. 

Why is it important to study cats?

Cats are currently the most commonly kept pets globally. Living in around a quarter of households in both the UK and US, cats are a big part of many people’s lives and families, but so far have received much less scientific attention than dogs.

Although cats are often thought of as aloof creatures, anecdotally we hear that people and their cats can and do form strong and unique relationships that are likely to impact wellbeing. This deserves more exploration.

There are also differences in how we commonly care for dogs and cats, and we want to investigate if these differences might have specific wellbeing impacts. For example, dogs are commonly walked frequently, which can provide social and mental health benefits for owners. Without these regular activities, do cat owners think their pets can also provide social and mental health benefits, and if so, how?

Additionally, there are species-specific aspects to cat ownership, such as the decision to keep them indoor-only or let them roam outside, and behaviour such as scratching or spraying. How do these potential challenges compare to parts of dog ownership that people have reported finding difficult, and what impact does this have on owner mental health and wellbeing? These are just some of the aspects of owning cats that we feel need more attention and that we hope to understand better through this study.

How do you personally connect with the topic of cats and human–animal relationships?

I have a background in both animal behaviour and human psychology, and I am very interested in how the lives, experiences, and relationships of people and their pets intersect and interact. I am also a massive cat lover and personally believe the bond I have with my cats greatly benefits my wellbeing! I’m really excited to be on a project that so fully combines my academic and personal interests, and I’m looking forward to seeing what we find out.

What inspired the team at the University of Liverpool to conduct this study?

Previous research at the University of Liverpool has highlighted how the strength of the relationship between owners and their dogs impacts mental health and various dimensions of wellbeing, such as enhancing companionship, purpose, and positive feelings (Merkouri et al. 2022).  We felt it was important to investigate the effects of cat-owner bonds in an equally detailed and focused way. 

Similarly to the previous study, we will be utilising a mixed-methods approach. This will mean we can gather a large amount of data of various types, enabling us to report correlational and thematic findings in relation to multiple aspects of mental wellbeing. A key aspect of this project is to explore how different methodologies can impact the investigation of pet-owner relationships, with the aim of generating in depth insights.

What are you most excited about in being involved in this study?

The research is still currently in its planning stage, but I am very much looking forward to talking to people about their cat-owning experience once we start interviewing. There are often memorable stories shared when people are asked about their pets, so I always really enjoy the process of generating that data.

What do you think this study will add to our overall understanding of the significance of the human–animal bond?  

I think this project will help support previous findings highlighting how important the relationships and bonds we form with pets are, as well as increasing our understanding of how ownership considerations and experiences specific to cats can affect emotions and overall wellbeing.

What do you hope people will take away from this study once results are available?

I hope the study helps people better understand the ways in which cats can impact human mental wellbeing, and how the care they require and the type and strength of bond we form with them can contribute to this. I also hope the findings identify parts of cat ownership that people find both beneficial and challenging, helping us understand ways in which we can maximise the gains of these relationships, both for us and for the cats!

Additionally, I hope that this research will help to demonstrate how unique and special the bonds between owners and cats can be, and that they deserve just as much scientific and public interest as dogs.

The PAWs program

The PAWS program, led by Waltham Petcare Science Institute in collaboration with leading academic institutions and experts, is exploring human-animal relationships and the impact on mental wellbeing across multiple geographies and age groups.