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Exploring Women’S Oxytocin Responses To Interactions With Their Pet Cats, Elizabeth A. Johnson, Arianna Portillo, Nikki E. Bennett, Peter B. Gray
Exploring Women’S Oxytocin Responses To Interactions With Their Pet Cats, Elizabeth A. Johnson, Arianna Portillo, Nikki E. Bennett, Peter B. Gray
Anthropology Faculty Research
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. …