Cat ownership in Australia: Barriers to ownership and behavior

Kendall, Kim; Ley, Jacqui

doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2006.04.009

Cited by 20 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…However, a recent Australian study determined that only 2% of cat owners experienced difficulty sourcing a kitten for purchase or adoption . Those who did experience difficulty usually required a specific breed or were attempting to obtain a kitten out of breeding season . The results of our study confirm that kittens are not in short supply within Queensland.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 67%

Cat admissions toRSPCAshelters in Queensland,Australia: description of cats and risk factors for euthanasia after entry

et al. 2013

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Objective A lack of information limits understanding of the excess cat problem and development of effective management strategies. This study describes cats entering Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) Queensland shelters and identifies risk factors for euthanasia.Methods Data for cats entering relevant shelters (July 2006-June 2008 were obtained from the RSPCA's electronic database. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify risk factors for euthanasia. ResultsOf 33,736 cats admitted, 46% were adult cats (Ն3 months) and 54% were kittens (<3 months). The most common reason for admission was stray (54%), followed by owner surrender (44%). Euthanasia was the most common outcome (65%), followed by adoption (30%). The odds of euthanasia were lower for kittens and for cats that were desexed prior to admission. Of the strays, 8% had been desexed. For cats of similar age, sex, desexed and feral status, stray cats were more likely to be adopted than owner-surrenders. ConclusionsStrategies are needed to reduce numbers of cats admitted and euthanased. Given the high proportion of admissions that were kittens, reducing the incidence of delayed sterilisation of owned cats may be an important strategy for reducing the number of unwanted kittens. Many cats admitted as strays were rehomable, but given the high proportion of admissions that are strays, further research on stray populations is needed. Future studies of cats entering shelters would be enhanced if data collection definitions, categories and methods were standardised.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 67%

Cat admissions toRSPCAshelters in Queensland,Australia: description of cats and risk factors for euthanasia after entry

et al. 2013

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“…For each occurrence of an affiliative behaviour or posture, a score of +1 was assigned, and for each occurrence of an agonistic or avoidant behaviour or posture, a score of −1 was assigned. Whether a behaviour or body posture was considered affiliative, avoidant or agonistic was based on the ethogram utilised in the study of Soennichsen and Chamove (2002) and extended using the existing literature on feline body language (Bradshaw and Hall, 1999;Cameron-Beaumont, 1997;Crowell-Davis et al, 2004;Curtis et al, 2003;Karsh and Turner, 1988;Kendall and Ley, 2006;Leyhausen, 1979;Overall, 1997;Ragni and Possenti, 1990;Rodan, 2010;Rodan et al, 2011;Turner and Bateson, 2000). Each of the eight body areas handled was given two behavioural response scores for a single handling session; one for agonistic and avoidant responses and one for affiliative responses.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of body region, handler familiarity and order of region handled on the domestic cat's response to being stroked

Ellis

Thompson

Guijarro-Clarke

et al. 2015

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

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“…Australian veterinary epidemiologists suggest that the pet cat population is now unsustainable, with the very high level of desexing in pet cats limiting the availability of kittens (Baldock et al, 2003). Although high levels of desexing (90%C) have been confirmed for pet cats (Reark Research Pty Ltd, 1994;Toukhsati et al, 2005), there is no evidence that cat guardians (owners) encounter any difficulty in acquiring kittens (Kendall & Ley, 2006). It is important to note that animal welfare shelters are not reporting any decrease in kitten admissions or euthanasia (Webb, 2006), as would be expected if the cat population were marginal.…”

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confidence: 99%

Admissions of Cats to Animal Welfare Shelters in Melbourne, Australia

Marston

Bennett

2009

Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science

103

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Although the number of companion animal (pet) cats (Felis catus) in Australia is decreasing, there has not been a corresponding reduction in feline admissions to nonhuman animal welfare shelters. This study tracked 15,206 cat admissions to 1 large Melbourne shelter over a 12-month period. Data collected included factors believed indicative of the cats' source subpopulation, including body condition, injuries, and sociability. The majority (81.6%) of admissions were strays. Overall desexing levels were low (4%), even among caregiver (owner)-relinquished cats (12.8%). The high sociability of many stray cats and kittens suggests that many may be "semiowned" animals. Colony cats were typically thinner and in poorer health than other admissions. The pattern of kitten admissions suggests that many queens are producing 2 litters per season. The majority of cats admitted were euthanized, indicating that there is an oversupply of cats in Melbourne, Australia, and that strategies to reduce the euthanasia rate need to target the subpopulations of cats who contribute to the current oversupply.

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Cat ownership in Australia: Barriers to ownership and behavior

Cited by 20 publications

References 29 publications

Cat admissions toRSPCAshelters in Queensland,Australia: description of cats and risk factors for euthanasia after entry

Cat admissions toRSPCAshelters in Queensland,Australia: description of cats and risk factors for euthanasia after entry

The influence of body region, handler familiarity and order of region handled on the domestic cat's response to being stroked

Admissions of Cats to Animal Welfare Shelters in Melbourne, Australia

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