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It is not just dogs that like to play a game of fetch, according to new research - many cats do too.

A survey of 1,000 cat owners has revealed new information about how the pets like to play, it found that cats instinctively want to play throwing and retrieving games, just like dogs.

But given their independent nature, it's perhaps not surprising that cats generally prefer to be in control of the game and do not need training to play either.

Researchers at Sussex and Northumbria universities said the findings suggest owners may like to introduce types of activities that may be typically associated with dogs, to play with their cats too.

Jemma Forman, from the University of Sussex School of Psychology, said: "Cats who initiated their fetching sessions played more enthusiastically with more retrievals and more fetching sessions per month.

"This perceived sense of control from the cat's perspective may be beneficial for the cat's welfare and the cat-owner relationship."

Study co-author Dr Elizabeth Renner, a lecturer in psychology at Northumbria University, said: "We think it's important because it demonstrates how much this behaviour is led by cats themselves, since very few of the owners trained their cats to fetch."

"Not all cats will want to play fetch, but if they do, it's likely that they will have their own particular way of doing so."

The survey gathered information from 924 owners of 1,154 cats (994 mixed-breed and 160 purebred).

The survey showed that most cats (94.4%) had an instinctive ability to play fetch from a young age, whether it was retrieving toys or household items.

Out of the purebreds cats - animals whose parents and ancestors all belong to the same breed - The Siamese played fetch the most (22.5%), followed by Bengal (10%) and Ragdoll (7.5%).

"Not all cats will want to play fetch, but if they do, it's likely that they will have their own particular way of doing so," said Jemma Forman from the University of Sussex.

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