Cat Personalities
Originally designed to identify canine personalities, Meet Your Match (MYM) was designed by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). MYM has recently been introduced to help classify feline personalities. The following information is from the ASPCA web site:
What Can the Feline-ality™ Assessment Predict?
Adopters hope to meet the perfect cat but "perfect" is different for different people:
- A cat who loves to play.
- A cat who loves to cuddle.
- A cat who loves to snooze peacefully in a sunbeam.
The research-based Feline-ality™ Adoption Program is built around the Feline-ality™ Assessment that reliably predicts how an individual cat is likely to behave when the cat arrives at their new home. In addition, the Meet Your Match™ Cat Adopter Survey identifies the aspects of the adopter's preferences, expectations, and lifestyle that correlate with specific Feline-alities. Adopters can then look for the cats with Feline-alities known to be a good fit for their household. Adopters who meet their new feline companion through the Feline-ality™ Adoption Program bring them home already knowing something about the cat's:
- Enjoyment of being petted and held
- Playfulness, "talkativeness," and activity level
- Interest in new people and new things
Adopters Learn about Their Feline Preferences and Themselves
The Cat Adopter Survey identifies adopter preferences, expectations, and lifestyle that correspond to characteristics measured in the Feline-ality™ Assessment. Adopters can complete the one-page survey in a few minutes. Its tone is lighthearted and upbeat (think magazine quiz, not college application).
Adopters enjoy completing the survey and finding out what "color" they are:
- Green adopters are most successful with cats who adapt quickly to new situations.
- Orange adopters are a good fit with middle-of-the-road cats.
- Purple adopters are comfortable with cats who need time and encouragement to adjust to new surroundings.
A color-coded guest pass in hand, adopters can introduce themselves to cats whose cage cards identify them as green, orange, or purple. Adopters aren't required to choose a cat with a certain Feline-ality™—love at first sight often happens. But the Feline-ality™ Assessment enables adopters to be prepared for their new love's response to their new home. The cat is then able to adjust to his/her new home without alarming or disappointing the adopter.
This text is taken from the ASPCA's Feline-ality web page. To view more information, visit the web page.
You can read more about local use of personality test for cats in the King 5 News article about MEOW Cat Rescue in Kirkland. Personality testing for cats is more common than you may think - and happens all across the country!
A word on the importance of personality testing: Be honest on your assessment. You want to get along with your cat, and you'd like your cat to get along with you!