A case-control study of compulsive wool-sucking in Siamese and Birman cats (n = 204)

Borns-Weil, Stephanie; Emmanuel, Christine; Longo, Jami; Kini, Nisha; Barton, Bruce; Smith, A.; Dodman, Nicholas H.

doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2015.07.038

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Similarly, wool sucking in cats is thought to arise from the motivation to suckle 52 . A link between stereotypic wool sucking and early weaning was discovered in an earlier study 41 . Other studies have reported a similar effect in other animals, with early weaning increasing stereotypic behaviour motivated by nursing 53 as well as general stereotypic behaviour 31 , 32 , 54 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

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Early weaning increases aggression and stereotypic behaviour in cats

Ahola

Vapalahti

Lohi

2017

Sci Rep

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Behaviour problems are common in companion felines, and problematic behaviour may be a sign of chronic stress. In laboratory animals, early weaning increases the risk for aggression, anxiety, and stereotypic behaviour. However, very few studies have focused on early weaning in one of the world’s most popular pets, the domestic cat, although weaning soon after the critical period of socialisation is common practice. To study the effects of early weaning (<12 weeks) on behaviour, a large data set (N = 5726, 40 breeds) was collected from home-living domestic cats through a questionnaire survey. The results show that weaning before 8 weeks of age increases the risk for aggression, but not fearful behaviour. Moreover, cats weaned after 14 weeks of age have a lower probability for aggression towards strangers than early weaned cats and a lower probability for stereotypic behaviour (excessive grooming) than cats weaned at 12 weeks. The effect of weaning age on stereotypic behaviour is partially explained by the effects on aggression. These findings indicate that early weaning has a detrimental effect on behaviour, and suggest delayed weaning as a simple and inexpensive approach to significantly improve the welfare of millions of domestic cats.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…Stereotypic behaviour in cats is proposed to be in part caused or worsened by early weaning 1 . In a recent study, early weaning was indeed correlated with stereotypic wool sucking in Birman cats 41 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Early weaning increases aggression and stereotypic behaviour in cats

Ahola

Vapalahti

Lohi

2017

Sci Rep

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“…Burmese and Oriental cats had the highest probability for excessive grooming. Oriental breeds have been suggested to have a higher risk for developing stereotypies 32 and one recent study also revealed increased compulsive behaviour in Oriental cats 7 . Our finding in stereotypic excessive grooming agrees with these results.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Breed differences of heritable behaviour traits in cats

Salonen

Vapalahti

Tiira

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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Cat domestication and selective breeding have resulted in tens of breeds with major morphological differences. These breeds may also show distinctive behaviour differences; which, however, have been poorly studied. To improve the understanding of feline behaviour, we examined whether behavioural differences exist among cat breeds and whether behaviour is heritable. For these aims, we utilized our extensive health and behaviour questionnaire directed to cat owners and collected a survey data of 5726 cats. Firstly, for studying breed differences, we utilized logistic regression models with multiple environmental factors and discovered behaviour differences in 19 breeds and breed groups in ten different behaviour traits. Secondly, the studied cat breeds grouped into four clusters, with the Turkish Van and Angora cats alone forming one of them. These findings indicate that cat breeds have diverged not only morphologically but also behaviourally. Thirdly, we estimated heritability in three breeds and obtained moderate heritability estimates in seven studied traits, varying from 0.4 to 0.53, as well as phenotypic and genetic correlations for several trait pairs. Our results show that it is possible to partition the observed variation in behaviour traits into genetic and environmental components, and that substantial genetic variation exists within breed populations.

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“…The term “pica” is used to describe the ingestion of non-nutritive items. It is known that cats target a range of items including fabrics (made of wool, cotton, or synthetic materials), shoelaces, rubber, plastics, paper, cardboard, wood, and metals [ 1 , 2 , 3 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some suggest that chewing and/or sucking are kitten or infantile behaviours that are only retained by some into adulthood, therefore, the motivations for the behaviour may be different to that of ingestion [ 4 , 5 ]. Additionally, Borns-Weil and others reported that the age of onset of ingesting, chewing, and sucking differed by material type [ 2 ]. In this study, the term pica will be used to describe chewing of non-nutritive items with or without ingesting.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Owner-Reported Pica in Domestic Cats Enrolled onto a Birth Cohort Study

Kinsman

Casey

Murray

2021

Animals

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The prevalence and cooccurrence of pica towards different target materials were investigated using prospective data from three questionnaires completed by owners participating in a longitudinal study of UK pet cats. Pica towards one or more material types was reported in 42.9% (229/534), 32.0% (171/534), and 30.9% (165/534) of cats aged approximately 6, 12, and 18 months, respectively. At all timepoints, it was most common for only one material type to be targeted. Associations between potential explanatory variables and “chronic pica” (pica exhibited at all three timepoints) were also explored. Multivariable logistic regression revealed moving to a new house when the cat was aged approximately 6–12 months, renting rather than owning a home, and living in a household without a dog(s) when the cat was aged 2–4 months increased the odds of chronic pica occurrence. This study provides novel data from a cohort of UK pet cats and it is hoped this will increase the understanding of pica and provide direction for areas for future research.

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A case-control study of compulsive wool-sucking in Siamese and Birman cats (n = 204)

Cited by 10 publications

References 10 publications

Early weaning increases aggression and stereotypic behaviour in cats

Early weaning increases aggression and stereotypic behaviour in cats

Breed differences of heritable behaviour traits in cats

Owner-Reported Pica in Domestic Cats Enrolled onto a Birth Cohort Study

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