Influence of olfactory enrichment on the exploratory behaviour of captive‐housed domestic cats

Machado, J.C.; Genaro, Gelson

doi:10.1111/avj.12253

Cited by 17 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Wells and Egli (), observed a reduction in the levels of inactivity upon the introduction of nutmeg ( Myristica fragrans ), catnip, and prey odor (quail, Coturnix coturnix ) into the enclosures of captive black‐footed cats ( Felis nigripes) . Upon introducing rat scent to 21 domestic cats in a shelter, Machado and Genaro (), observed an increase in exploration behaviors, such as sniffing, rubbing, and urine spraying. In contrast to these previous studies, levels of locomotion and exploratory behaviors did not show any significant change upon the introduction of the three forms of enrichment in the present study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of intrinsic enrichment on captive felids

et al. 2017

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Environmental enrichment is a well-known technique, which has been used to enhance the welfare of captive animals. The aim of this study is to investigate how three different forms of intrinsic enrichment, namely, a hay ball without scent, a hay ball with catnip, and a hay ball with cinnamon, influenced the behavior of six cheetah and two Sumatran tigers at Fota Wildlife Park, Ireland. Enrichment-directed behaviors, as well as pacing, locomotion, inactive, and exploratory behaviors were investigated. The results indicated that the three forms of enrichment had similar effects, in terms of enrichment-directed behavior, with cinnamon resulting in the highest levels of enrichment-directed behaviors. The cinnamon treatment resulted in a significant decrease in pacing behavior when compared with baseline observations. No evidence of habituation (i.e., a significant reduction in enrichment-directed behaviors) was observed for any of the three enrichments. This means that these low cost, easy to apply, practical forms of enrichment could be frequently applied for these species as part of an enrichment regime.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of intrinsic enrichment on captive felids

et al. 2017

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“…Olfactory associative training in the rat produced synaptic efficiency in the piriform cortex and the DG; therefore, when olfactory cues are reinforced, reactivation of the hippocampal processing occurs (Truchet et al 2002;Knafo et al 2004;Barkai 2005;Restivo et al 2006;Zelcer et al 2006;Machado and Genaro 2014). Moreover, olfactory training increased the mean spine density along the apical dendrites of the hippocampal neurons by 20.5 % (compared to controls) (Knafo et al 2004;Restivo et al 2006;Zelcer et al 2006).…”

Section: Enhancing Olfactory Functionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dysfunctional Sensory Modalities, Locus Coeruleus, and Basal Forebrain: Early Determinants that Promote Neuropathogenesis of Cognitive and Memory Decline and Alzheimer’s Disease

Daulatzai

2016

Neurotox Res

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Sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder. It is essential to unravel its etiology and pathogenesis. This should enable us to study the presymptomatic stages of the disease and to analyze and reverse the antemortem behavioral, memory, and cognitive dysfunction. Prima facie, an ongoing chronic vulnerability involving neural insult may lead normal elderly to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and then to AD. Development of effective preventive and therapeutic strategies to thwart the disease pathology obviously requires a thorough delineation of underlying disruptive neuropathological processes. Our sensory capacity for touch, smell, taste, hearing, and vision declines with advancing age. Declines in different sensory attributes are considered here to be the primary "first-tier pathologies." Olfactory loss is among the first clinical signs of neurodegenerative diseases including AD and Parkinson's disease (PD). Sensory dysfunction in the aged promotes pathological disturbances in the locus coeruleus, basal forebrain, entorhinal cortex, hippocampus, and several key areas of neocortex and brainstem. Hence, sensory dysfunction is the pivotal factor that may upregulate cognitive and memory dysfunction. The age-related constellation of comorbid pathological factors may include apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, alcohol abuse, head trauma, and obstructive sleep apnea. The concepts and trajectories delineated here are the dynamic pillars of the current hypothesis presented-it postulates that the sensory decline, in conjunction with the above pathologies, is crucial in triggering neurodegeneration and promoting cognitive/memory dysfunction in aging and AD. The application of this thesis can be important in formulating new multifactorial preventive and treatment strategies (suggested here) in order to attenuate cognitive and memory decline and ameliorate pathological dysfunction in aging, MCI, and AD.

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“…An enriched indoor environment provides cats kept solely indoors with opportunities to explore and express their natural behaviours and is important to prevent the development of stress‐related behavioural problems. An experimental study investigated the role of olfactory stimulation in promoting exploratory activity in cats that had lived in a shelter for at least 4 years . The researchers observed the cats' behaviour for 2 hours each day without stimulation, or in the presence of a 30 × 30‐cm plain cube, or a cube that had been coated with rat scent.…”

Section: Small Animalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An experimental study investigated the role of olfactory stimulation in promoting exploratory activity in cats that had lived in a shelter for at least 4 years. 6 The researchers observed the cats' behaviour for 2 hours each day without stimulation, or in the presence of a 30 × 30-cm plain cube, or a cube that had been coated with rat scent. All cats enrolled in the study were exposed to the three treatments.…”

Section: Small Animalsmentioning

confidence: 99%