A new survey from Cats Protection, the UK's leading feline welfare charity, shows most cat owners don't understand the way to properly comfort their stressed out cats: by leaving them the fuck alone.

The survey showed more than half of cat owners polled believed that petting the rude, socially inept creature they invited into their homes to feed and look at (from a distance) calmed them down in moments of anxiety. Nope!

"Being held or stroked for too long," said Cats Protection behavior manager Nicky Trevorrow, "can be very stressful for some cats." She continued:

"Space and peace is often what they need. They are not small furry humans, so what would comfort us will not ­necessarily comfort them. Owners love their ­animals and want them to be happy but our research has highlighted a lack of ­understanding."

Hmm.

Why have a cat?

[image via Shutterstock]