I don't see why bird ownership wasn't similar to cat.. Would mammal be important or would there be a hidden variable in being able to house a dog or cat as one sometimes needs less permissions for smaller animals in rental agreements, etc..
It is harder to take them outside for a walk though (although there are bird leashes). This sort of limits the outdoor social interaction that dogs confer.
and yes, some smaller birds are treated more like fish that a member of the family.
With dog you have to walk outside even if you have a garden, a dog needs a daily walk a bit further around.
Cat doesn’t need a walk, well it requires play time but I would say walking around the block should do more for person health than playing around with cat in-house.
I ask because people are often surprised at how social cats are. Sure, some are extroverts and just love everyone like any golden retriever would. But most cats will want to be in the same room if you even if they aren't cuddly (all the time). They greet you at the door and like to play with you. They're just introverted and need time to warm up
I've had cats that were affectionate and cats that came to the house only for food.
The overall problem with this study is that it does nothing to try to categorize the relationship to the pets or eliminate the correlation problems like almost no one has an outdoor cat in an urban environment or any cat in an urban studio apartment.
I agree, a parrot is not an average bird and I'd wager would be beneficial in similar ways
But I disagree, a cat is not like an average bird.
These are two wildly different conversations. Not to mention that people frequently believe cats aren't social. So I'm not sure how you would expect me to interpret your comment as "parrot, not average bird"