Pet–Human Relationships: Dogs versus Cats

González-Ramírez, Mónica Teresa; Hernández, René Landero

doi:10.3390/ani11092745

Cited by 20 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…For these reasons, cat owners may not perceive their pets as an impediment to their daily outdoor activities, and this, in turn, may affect their perception of the costs of caring for the cat. Being aware of the cat’s social needs may lead to higher perceived costs in normal circumstances and to an even greater decrease in perceived costs during confinement than that observed in this study, similar to what has been previously found for dog owners [ 9 , 43 ]. However, we did not assess the degree of owners’ awareness of cats’ ethological and relational needs.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Moreover, within the specific framework of the social exchange theory [ 41 ], the perception of the costs of caring for the pet may be affected by the (mis)beliefs and (mis)conceptions that owners may have of that species. Contrary to dogs, indoor cats are often wrongly considered capable of easily tolerating the absence of their owners, or [ 42 ] thriving even in small and confined spaces [ 43 ], with possible serious consequences for their welfare [ 44 , 45 , 46 ]. For these reasons, cat owners may not perceive their pets as an impediment to their daily outdoor activities, and this, in turn, may affect their perception of the costs of caring for the cat.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cat–Owner Relationship and Cat Behaviour: Effects of the COVID-19 Confinement and Implications for Feline Management

Riggio

Borrelli

Piotti

et al. 2022

Veterinary Sciences

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The restrictive measures implemented to stem the spread of COVID-19 abruptly changed the lives of many cats and their owners. This study explored whether the lockdown in Italy affected the cat–owner relationship, as well as cat behaviour and welfare. A survey that included questions on owner and cat’s demographics, living environment, cat behaviour and a modified version of the Cat/Dog Relationship Scale (C/DORS) was distributed online during the lockdown and was completed by 548 cat owners, mainly women (81.6%). With regard to the C/DORS subscales, both emotional closeness and cat–owner interactions increased during confinement, as opposed to a reduction in perceived costs. The effect of the type of job, family role and owner’s age on the C/DORS scores suggests that the relationship improved for those owners that, due to the lockdown, increased the time spent with their cats. For 58.8% of respondents, their cat’s general behaviour did not change, but when changes occurred, they were mostly positive (20.4%). Attention-seeking and demanding behaviours were the most increased during lockdown (25.7%). Cats with pre-existing problematic behaviours tended to either remain stable or improve during confinement. The overall positive effects of lockdown-related environmental changes on a cat’s behaviour suggest that some aspects of commonly implemented cat management practices should be revised to improve cat welfare in normal circumstances.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cat–Owner Relationship and Cat Behaviour: Effects of the COVID-19 Confinement and Implications for Feline Management

Riggio

Borrelli

Piotti

et al. 2022

Veterinary Sciences

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show abstract

“…In a study by González-Ramírez and Landero-Hernández [ 44 ] comparing the relationships between humans and dogs and humans and cats, the respondents indicated greater emotional closeness with their dogs than with cats (they noticed greater social support, companionship, and unconditional love in their dogs). The relationship of the owners with their cats was assessed as requiring less responsibility and associated with fewer restrictions in daily activities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are Hair Cortisol Levels of Humans, Cats, and Dogs from the Same Household Correlated?

Wojtaś

Garbiec

Karpiński

et al. 2022

Animals

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Human–animal interactions and the emotional relationship of the owner with the pet are the subjects of many scientific studies and the constant interest of not only scientists but also pet owners. The aim of this study was to determine and compare the hair cortisol levels of dogs, cats, and their owners living in the same household. The owners were asked to complete a questionnaire concerning the frequency of their interactions with pets and emotional relationship with each of their cats and each of their dogs. The study involved 25 women who owned at least one dog and at least one cat. In total, 45 dogs and 55 cats from 25 households participated in the study. The average level of hair cortisol of the owners was 4.62 ng/mL, of the dogs 0.26 ng/mL, and in the hair of cats 0.45 ng/mL. There was no significant correlation between the hair cortisol level of the owner and dog or the owner and the cat and between dogs and cats living together. A significant positive correlation was observed between the hair cortisol level in the owner and the pet, for dogs in which the owner performs grooming treatments once a week and for cats which are never kissed. Although our study did not find many significant correlations, studies using other stress markers might have yielded different results.

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“…We also found one quarter of individuals adopted a different species following return, most of whom returned a dog and adopted a cat. It is possible that individuals who returned dogs were more inclined to adopt cats post-return due to the lower perceived costs and responsibilities of cat ownership compared with dog ownership 21 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of returning a pet to the shelter on future animal adoptions

Powell

Reinhard

Satriale

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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Unsuccessful animal adoptions are stressful for many owners and may reduce their willingness to adopt again. The goal of this study was to determine the proportion of return owners who adopted post-return and investigate return characteristics that affected the likelihood of post-return adoption. We analyzed adoption records from a South Carolina animal shelter between 2015 and 2019 (n = 1999) using a logistic regression model including post-return adoption (binary) and return reason, species, animal sex and age. We found one in 10 individuals adopted from the shelter within 12 months of return, and post-return adoption was associated with return reason and species. Returns due to owner-related reasons, such as the owner’s health (OR 0.20, 95% CI 0.07, 0.57) or unrealistic expectations (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.19, 0.94) were associated with significantly lower odds of post-return adoption. Owners who returned due to the animal’s health exhibited four times greater odds of post-return adoption compared with behavioral returns (OR 4.20, 95% CI 2.37, 7.45). Our findings highlight the value of ensuring adopters’ expectations are aligned with the reality of ownership and minimizing adopter-animal behavioral incompatibility as unsuccessful animal adoptions can reduce the owner’s willingness to adopt again and may affect the adopter’s relationship with the shelter.

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Pet–Human Relationships: Dogs versus Cats

Cited by 20 publications

References 25 publications

Cat–Owner Relationship and Cat Behaviour: Effects of the COVID-19 Confinement and Implications for Feline Management

Cat–Owner Relationship and Cat Behaviour: Effects of the COVID-19 Confinement and Implications for Feline Management

Are Hair Cortisol Levels of Humans, Cats, and Dogs from the Same Household Correlated?

The impact of returning a pet to the shelter on future animal adoptions

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