It’s no secret that more women like cats than men. That’s why you often hear about some crazy cat lady who hordes dozens of cats in her tiny apartment.

According to the journal Behavioral Processes, cats attach to humans, and particularly women, as social partners, and not just for the sake of obtaining food. Cats essentially act like a furry “child” in the eyes of women.

“Food is often used as a token of affection, and the ways that cats and humans relate to food are similar in nature to the interactions seen between the human caregiver and the pre-verbal infant,” said Jon Day, a Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition researcher. “Both cat and human infant are, at least in part, in control of when and what they are fed!”

Cats approach female owners more frequently, and initiate contact more frequently (such as jumping on laps) than they do with male owners,” said Manuela Wedl of the University of Vienna, adding that “female owners have more intense relationships with their cats than do male owners.”

To read more about how cats manipulate women, click here.