Researchers report that some cats behave in ways that resemble shyness seen in human infants, combining fearfulness with curiosity when encountering strangers. The findings come from a study published in PLOS One on Nov. 4, 2026, led by Madoka Hattori of Kyoto University and colleagues.
Across outlets, the core emphasis is on personality variation. The study classifies cats into four personality types and identifies one type characterized by the same “fear and curiosity” pattern around unfamiliar people that has been linked to shyness in human babies. Coverage highlights the conceptual comparison between human development and feline behavior, presenting the work as evidence that similar behavioral mixtures can appear across species.
While both reports focus on the same research, they frame it differently: one stresses the specific fear–curiosity blend as “shyness,” and the other foregrounds the broader conclusion that cats can be even more like babies than previously understood.
