Introducing a Controlled Outdoor Environment Impacts Positively in Cat Welfare and Owner Concerns: The Use of a New Feline Welfare Assessment Tool

Abstract

There is much debate over the pros and cons of allowing cats to roam freely as opposed to keeping them confined indoors. We surveyed owners who implemented a commercial physical containment system to the outdoors to evaluate their characteristics and the apparent impact of this system on cat welfare and owner perceptions. As part of the latter aim, we also developed a new feline welfare assessment tool based on the mathematical relationship between different measures. The survey was circulated to customers over the preceding 2 years of ProtectaPet® between May and June 2019 and gathered 446 responses. Univariate analyses compared changes following installation on factors such as the amount of time the cat spent outside, other cats entering the owner's garden and owners' concerns about their cat outside. Principal component analysis was used to reduce 21 potential indicators of feline welfare into fewer variables. This resulted in 4 subscales, 2 relating to positive welfare and 2 relating to negative welfare. The effects of installation of the containment system and significant predictors of these four welfare subscales were assessed. The majority of respondents lived in an urban environment with a relatively small garden, had multiple cats and a history of feline trauma associated with a road traffic accident. As expected, the time spent outside significantly increased, while the frequency of other cats entering the garden and owner concern about leaving their cats outside significantly decreased. The 4 welfare subscales grouped into positivity, maintenance behaviors, health issues and fearfulness; installation of the system was associated with significant improvements across all of these. Time spent outside after installation had a significant effect on positivity and, to a lesser extent, maintenance behaviors. Overall, installation was associated with positive changes in both owner and cat quality of life, which seem to be particularly associated with an increased sense of security. This suggests that housing cats within a controlled outside environment with physical barriers can provide a practical solution for many of the problems associated with cats being allowed out.

‘I want you to want me’: How owners value cats' choices has implications for cat containment

“…Participants' views that access to the outdoors promotes positive cat welfare are consistent with other research (de Assis & Mills, 2021;Foreman-Worsley et al, 2021). Our study participants felt their cat/s had more choices because they had outdoor access.…”

“…Globally, cats are popular companion animals (Crowley et al., 2020a; de Assis & Mills, 2021; Tan et al., 2021). With this popularity has come growing concern about their (and their stray and feral counterparts') impacts on wildlife, with the practice of allowing a companion cat to have unrestricted outdoor access being the focal point of many debates between advocates on different sides of this issue (Crowley et al., 2022; Loss & Marra, 2018; Lynn et al., 2019).…”

My Cat and Me—A Study of Cat Owner Perceptions of Their Bond and Relationship

“…Therefore, in the five-group model, it is not surprising that this is one of the largest groups, representing about a quarter of owners in our sample. While we describe this as an open relationship, it should be noted that this does not mean the owner does not care for the cat; indeed, they probably recognize the importance of enrichment, as evidenced by their tendency to allow the cat outdoors [52], and that it is quite important to play with the cat. However, the role of the owner as any form of secure base seems to be relatively weak given the response to the item on the tendency to seek out the owner when distressed.…”

2024 AAFP intercat tension guidelines: recognition, prevention and management

“…It may be possible to build a feline patio ('catio'; Figure 25) or similar structure so that the caregiver's cat(s) can go outside safely. 30 Letting the cats 'work it out' impairs feline welfare and is not considered an acceptable approach.…”

“…Supporting the pillars is more challenging in the case of indoor-only cats vs cats with outdoor access, whether part- or full-time. 6,30,31 The space limitations inherent in indoor environments are more likely to lead to intercat tension (because of the smaller physical environment). It is important that every effort is made to meet the five pillars of a healthy environment to prevent intercat tension from developing in the first place.…”