Cats are curious, intelligent, and far more socially and cognitively capable than they are often given credit for. Yet many caregivers are left guessing about how to best meet their cats’ needs for enrichment, activity, and connection.
At the Human-Animal Interaction Lab, we explore how cats think, learn, and interact so we can help caregivers better understand their cats and create healthier, more enriching lives for them. Our work has already helped debunk long-held myths and highlight just how remarkable cats truly are.
With your support, we can expand this work to address everyday challenges that affect cat wellbeing and the human-cat bond. Our studies are humane, voluntary, and designed to be engaging and rewarding for the cats who participate, while generating knowledge that improves the lives of cats and the humans who love them!
Some examples of how your generous support can help us answer the questions that matter most to cats and cat caregivers:
$25-$50: This amount can cover basic supplies, equipment, enrichment toys, cat treats to support one cat’s participation in a behavior or cognition study (a complete study may include 20-100 cats).
$500: Enough to help us develop digital cat-training resources that encourage physical activity. These tools provide caregivers with evidence-based strategies to reduce cat stress and build stronger human-animal bonds through cooperative play.
$1,000: Enough to cover the expenses associated with one cat-human participant pair enrolled in a cat-training or cat-assisted intervention study (cat training and research supplies, training/handling costs, data analysis). Participation in such studies has been shown to improve cat behavior and feelings of attachment towards caregivers, and promote healthier behaviors and relationships in humans, making this a great way to support research and impact lives now.
$5,000: Enough to provide support for paid undergraduate research experiences, training the next generation of researchers interested in cat behavior and cat-human bonds.
$10,000: Enough to support the launch of a mini cohort (e.g., 20 cats + owners) in a longitudinal study on cat attachment and behavior, including analysis and reporting.
$25,000: Enough to support a dedicated graduate student research assistant plus supplies for one term worth of cat behavior and cognition research, including recruitment, data collection, and dissemination of findings to both the academic and pet-owner communities.
$100,000+: Enough to support a dedicated research project, or an endowment that will provide critical ongoing program support, that can help transform the lives of cats and the relationships we share with them, paving the way for large-scale impact. If you are interested in establishing a named fund, facility or research initiative at this level, this is possible and we would love to hear from you, and we will assist you in this process.
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