Cats love playing fetch – but only if they are in control of the game.
Scientists have discovered that many felines enjoy the game just as much as dogs and particularly if they play on their terms.
Researchers at the University of Sussex found that moggies manipulate the game to suit their mood by “gradually dropping the object further and further away from their owner”.
They are also more likely than their canine counterparts to have a favourite item or type of object that they can play fetch with while rejecting others.
The university noted: “The researchers found that for the vast majority, 94.4 per cent, fetching appeared to be an instinctive behaviour in the cats, emerging in the absence of explicit training.
“They also found that most of the cats started fetching as kittens or young cats, with 96.7 per cent reported to first fetch under the age of seven years old, and 60.7 per cent under one year old.”
