Food puzzles for cats

Dantas, Leticia M.S.; Delgado, Mikel M.; Johnson, Ingrid; Buffington, CA Tony

doi:10.1177/1098612x16643753

Cited by 55 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…De acordo com Dantas et al (2016) guias atuais sobre cuidados e BEA de gatos sugerem que os felinos devem expressar seus extintos predatórios, incluindo a aquisição ativa por comida. O uso de brinquedos interativos que liberam comida ('food puzzles') trouxe benefícios para os animais como perda de peso, diminuição da agressão a humanos e outros gatos, redução de ansiedade, medo e fim de comportamentos de busca de atenção.…”

Section: Resultsunclassified

“…Atualmente veterinários e guias de cuidados com felinos encorajam os tutores a manterem os gatos apenas dentro de casa por segurança, saúde e questões ecológicas (DANTAS et al, 2016), mas essas recomendações conferem a responsabilidade de fornecer condições que garantam boa saúde e BEA. Os gatos mantêm seus comportamentos naturais, como caçar, mesmo vivendo em ambientes fechados, e podem desenvolver problemas de saúde quando privados de meios ambientais apropriados para esses comportamentos naturais (HERRON; BUFFINGTON, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

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BEM-ESTAR E ENRIQUECIMENTO AMBIENTAL DE GATOS (Felis catus): O QUE OS CLÍNICOS VETERINÁRIOS SABEM?

Alves¹,

Rinco²,

Mendes³

et al. 2019

Enci Bio

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Section: Resultsunclassified

Section: Introductionunclassified

BEM-ESTAR E ENRIQUECIMENTO AMBIENTAL DE GATOS (Felis catus): O QUE OS CLÍNICOS VETERINÁRIOS SABEM?

Alves¹,

Rinco²,

Mendes³

et al. 2019

Enci Bio

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“…As an alternative, enrichment tools that simulate feeding and hunting opportunities can be provided to replicate hunting behaviors in indoor environments. Hiding food items, scattering feed, and using puzzle feeders can mimic investigatory and consummatory aspects of the hunting process, as well as provide mental stimulation through problem solving [62]. Wands with feathers or fur can imitate flying or ground prey when lifted into the air or shaken on the floor, where a catch of the wand or toy can mimic a successful capture [63], stimulating natural behaviors, such as stalking, pouncing, jumping, and biting.…”

Section: Natural Behaviorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Uncontrolled Outdoor Access for Cats: An Assessment of Risks and Benefits

Tan

Stellato

Niel

2020

Animals

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Uncontrolled outdoor access is associated with a number of welfare concerns for companion cats, including increased risks of disease and parasites, injury or death due to traffic, predation or ingestion of toxic substances, and getting permanently separated from their owner. In addition, cats pose a threat to local wildlife due to predatory behaviors, and can sometimes be a nuisance to human neighbors. Despite these concerns, recent estimates suggest that many owners are still providing their cats with uncontrolled outdoor access, likely because it also offers welfare benefits by allowing cats to perform natural behaviors, such as hunting, exploring, and climbing. While some have suggested that outdoor access is necessary to meet cats’ behavioral needs and to prevent related behavioral problems, others have recommended various environmental enrichment strategies that can be developed to meet these needs within an indoor environment or through supervised and controlled outdoor access. This review examines the welfare issues and benefits associated with outdoor access for cats, as well as what is currently known about peoples’ practices, knowledge, and attitudes about the provision of outdoor access for cats.

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“…While there are recommendations available for meeting the needs of confined cats [ 5 , 6 , 11 ], very little research exists on the actual preferences of laboratory cats for specific types of enrichment, or how to assess the enrichment preferences of individual cats. What we, as humans, perceive to be enriching may not be what the animal actually prefers, and there may be individual differences in enrichment preferences.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enrichment Preferences of FIV-Infected and Uninfected Laboratory-Housed Cats

Kennedy

Thomson²,

Griffith

et al. 2018

Viruses

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Environmental enrichment is critical for alleviating stress in laboratory felines. However, there is a paucity of information about suitable enrichment for cats. This study aimed to determine preferred enrichment options of individually-housed, castrated male domestic short hair cats (Felis catus) used in a longitudinal study of the effects of chronic feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection, and to determine if the FIV status of the cats affected enrichment preferences. Preference testing was performed with two types of grooming brushes, three different interactive play options, including a laser, ball, and petting interaction with a familiar investigator, and two types of toenail conditioning objects. We found that cats elected to be brushed, preferred social interaction and play with the laser to the ball, and preferred to scratch on an inclined-box toenail conditioning object compared to a horizontal, circular toenail conditioning object. There were individual preferences for enrichment opportunities. There were no differences in preferences between FIV-infected and sham-infected cats. These enrichment preferences may be used to advise laboratory animal facilities and researchers about how to best accommodate the behavioral needs of laboratory cats.

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Food puzzles for cats

Abstract: The effect of food puzzles on cats is a relatively new area of study, so as well as reviewing the existing empirical evidence, we provide case studies from our veterinary and behavioral practices showing health and behavioral benefits resulting from their use.

Cited by 55 publications

References 33 publications

BEM-ESTAR E ENRIQUECIMENTO AMBIENTAL DE GATOS (Felis catus): O QUE OS CLÍNICOS VETERINÁRIOS SABEM?

BEM-ESTAR E ENRIQUECIMENTO AMBIENTAL DE GATOS (Felis catus): O QUE OS CLÍNICOS VETERINÁRIOS SABEM?

Uncontrolled Outdoor Access for Cats: An Assessment of Risks and Benefits

Enrichment Preferences of FIV-Infected and Uninfected Laboratory-Housed Cats

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