Why are Cats so cute?

Ask any cat person, and they’ll tell you why their cat is the cutest. For instance, my cat Margot has the softest, fluffiest fur, and the prettiest, roundest green eyes, and she makes the most adorable little mewing noises for attention. She’s just sooo cute! But it turns out, there’s a reason those particular features make me ga-ga for her.

The science of cute (yes, it’s a thing) explains why cats are so cute, and why we want these meowing purring, scratching, pooping creatures to live in our homes.

Before we get into the specifics of cat cuteness, let’s talk about what “cute” means in general. If you look it up on Wikipedia, there’s actually a recognized set of characteristics that determine “cute,” all fitting under the German word kinderschema (source). They are:

Big, forward-facing eyes
Rounded ears
Floppy limbs and unstable movements
Soft, rounded body shape
A large head compared to the rest of their body

Human babies are the original source of these characteristics. Scientists theorize that appearing soft, vulnerable, and loveable is an evolutionary adaptation that ensures survival. In other words, babies are cute so that adults will take care of them!

But it’s not just human babies who trigger our caretaking instincts; kittens, puppies, lambs, and other baby animals make us feel the same way. And so do adult mammals who retain their “kinderschema.”There’s a scientific term for that, too: neoteny, or “the retention of juvenile features in the adult animal.”

Of course, not all adult cats have big heads or round eyes. But most of them have soft, rounded body shapes. They have fur that’s pleasing to touch. They make high-pitched, baby-like meows and comforting rumbly purrs. Cats are chock full of cute characteristics that make humans want to take care of them.