Personality structure in the domestic cat, African lion, snow leopard, and clouded leopard

Gartner, Powell and Weiss applied systematic personality assessment to four felid species, having keepers rate individuals on behavioural traits and then analysing the underlying structure. They identified consistent personality dimensions across species, including factors related to dominance, impulsiveness and neuroticism or fearfulness, paralleling structures found in other animals and humans. The study demonstrated that felid personality can be measured reliably and compared across species, providing a tool for welfare and management. Understanding an individual cat's temperament helps predict its responses to husbandry, enrichment, pairing and stressors. The work is frequently cited in animal-personality research and supports tailoring care to individual behavioural profiles in both wild and domestic cats.