Abstract

The Feline Temperament Type Sorter is a personality test developed from the Myers Briggs instrument in humans. It is an owner's assessment of feline personality. The Feline Temperament Type Sorter had not been tested previously for validity. The study was designed to examine its validity by comparing owners' perceptions of feline personality with experimental evaluations. The sample was composed of seventeen cats and their owners. The owners completed the Feline Temperament Type Sorter to characterize their cats as one of sixteen personality types. The cats were subsequently examined individually to determine whether the owners' assessments were consistent. Multiple observations were monitored for each of the four components tested in the Feline Temperament Type Sorter, response to the environment, interaction with others, response to adversity, and communication style. The results indicate the Feline Temperament Type Sorter provides a reasonably accurate assessment of feline personality. Owners with longer relationships with their cats appeared to have a more accurate perception of their cats' behavior. However, no significant correlation was detennined between an owner's occupational field of study and perception of feline personality. Felines from multiple-cat households displayed more social temperaments, and cats that live indoors and outdoors exhibited bolder temperaments.