Predictors of proximity to others in colony housed shelter cats (Felis silvestris catus)

Suchak, Malini; Piombino, M.; Bracco, Kalina

doi:10.21071/pbs.v0i2.5186

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…We found that despite this practical difference, SH cats were not moved more frequently or to a wider number of cages than GH cats. Given that most of the GH cats in our sample were not admitted to the shelter already socially bonded to other cats [ 19 ], it may have been assumed that they could be moved just as easily as SH cats. As a next step, it would be important to know whether these moves of GH cats have implications for the other cats in their social group.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since fewer cats moved through group housing than single housing, we used a list of 259 adult subjects that were housed in groups in the colony rooms during 2014–2015 period as our starting point. These cats were compiled through a previous, unrelated behavioral study examining proximity between cats in group housing [ 19 ]. For each cat we recorded their age upon intake, sex (male/female), primary breed, primary coat color, and size from the PetPoint database.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, in a preliminary study of 25 cats moved to a boarding cattery for five days, Bradshaw and Hall [ 18 ] found littermates were more likely to spend time in proximity and showed more affiliative behaviors than non-littermates. However, in our own work, examining 259 cats over their entire length of stay at the shelter, we did not find any difference in proximity between familiar and unfamiliar pairs of cats [ 19 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Comparison of Cats (Felis silvestris catus) Housed in Groups and Single Cages at a Shelter: A Retrospective Matched Cohort Study

Suchak

Lamica

2018

Animals

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Simple SummaryWhen cats are relinquished to shelters, they frequently experience a great deal of stress. Shelters often try to control certain aspects of their environment, such as housing, to help them relax. Some cats are placed in small group rooms upon entry, whereas others are placed in single cages. There are tradeoffs to both systems. We wanted to compare the experience and outcomes of cats placed in single housing and group housing in shelters. We found that their experiences while at the shelter were similar, however single-housed cats were moved to the isolation unit more frequently than group-housed cats, which reduced their visibility to the public by pulling them off the adoption floor. Single-housed cats were also sent to the offsite location more frequently, which means they spent more time in transport than group-housed cats. Both groups were adopted at approximately the same rate and after similar lengths of time. However, the rate of return was high, especially in group-housed cats, and live release rate after return was lower than after a cat’s initial stay. More research is needed to know why this is happening and how to reduce returns after adoption.AbstractThe merits of various housing options for domestic cats in shelters have been debated. However, comparisons are difficult to interpret because cats are typically not able to be randomly assigned to different housing conditions. In the current study, we attempted to address some of these issues by creating a retrospective matched cohort of cats in two housing types. Cats in group housing (GH) were matched with cats in single housing (SH) that were the same age, sex, breed, coat color, and size. Altogether we were able to find a match for 110 GH cats. We compared these two groups on several measures related to their experience at the shelter such as moves and the development of behavioral problems. We also compared these groups on outcomes including length of stay, live release, and returns after adoption. We found that while the frequency of moves was similar in both groups, SH cats were more likely to be moved to offsite facilities than GH cats. SH cats also spent a smaller proportion of time on the adoption floor. Length of stay and, live release and returns after adoption did not significantly differ across groups, however GH cats were two times as likely to be returned after adoption. Future research should look at the behavioral impacts of shelter decision-making regarding moving and management of cats in different housing systems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Comparison of Cats (Felis silvestris catus) Housed in Groups and Single Cages at a Shelter: A Retrospective Matched Cohort Study

Suchak

Lamica

2018

Animals

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“…Many cats prefer human social interaction to other types of potential reward. 19 Cats have the capacity to be highly sociable with humans and other cats, 17,21 and can form close bonds concurrently with other cats and humans. 8,22 Positive, consistent and predictable human social interaction is important to a cat’s welfare (see ‘Pillar 4: Providing positive, consistent and predictable human-cat social interaction’).…”

Section: Understanding Feline Social Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

2024 AAFP intercat tension guidelines: recognition, prevention and management

Rodan,

Ramos,

Carney

et al. 2024

Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery

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Social tension or conflict between household cats is common but, because it often manifests as subtle behavioral changes, it can go unnoticed; it is precisely because most signs are subtle and unrecognized that the term ‘tension’ is used. Where associated tension-related chronic fear-anxiety leads to more overt behavioral concerns and stress-associated disease, cats may face relinquishment by caregivers or even euthanasia if the tension is not relieved. The ‘2024 AAFP intercat tension guidelines: recognition, prevention and management’ have been authored by a Task Force of board-certified veterinary and applied behaviorists and clinical experts in feline medicine and behavior convened by the American Association of Feline Practitioners. The aim is to support veterinary professionals in understanding social behavior between cats and, more specifically, in recognizing intercat tension, preventing or minimizing its occurrence and managing the stressors. In developing the Guidelines, the Task Force has modified the five pillars of a healthy feline environment to provide a framework to assist the prevention or management of intercat tension in households with two or more cats. Because feline social behavior is often misunderstood, the Guidelines debunk 10 common myths that have the potential to negatively impact the wellbeing of companion cats. Extensively illustrated with visual examples of intercat tension and an Appendix detailing a number of case studies, the Guidelines also include a comprehensive table of psychotherapeutic medications, and a detailed algorithm that outlines a systematic approach to preventing, recognizing and resolving intercat tension. A step-by-step approach to introducing a new cat into a household with one or more resident cats is included to further support veterinarians, and a range of management tools to promote client education accompany the Guidelines.

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“…For cat populations managed in confined environments, group-living and group composition are primarily dictated by humans, and, thus, cats have little choice over this aspect of their sociality. Despite this, cats may still display individual variation in the conspecifics they choose to associate with or avoid [51,52]. Variations in the nature of conspecific social interactions have been linked to similar factors to those highlighted in free-living populations, although these relationships and their direction of effects are not consistent across studies.…”

Section: Proximate Factors and Their Links To Conspecific Social Behaviour In Confined Populationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conspecific and Human Sociality in the Domestic Cat: Consideration of Proximate Mechanisms, Human Selection and Implications for Cat Welfare

Finka

2022

Animals

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Sociality can be broadly defined as the ability and tendency of individuals to reside in social groups with either conspecifics and/or other species. More specifically, sociability relates to the ability and tendency of individuals to display affiliative behaviours in such contexts. The domestic cat is one of the most globally popular companion animals and occupies a diverse range of lifestyles. Despite an arguably short period of domestication from an asocial progenitor, the domestic cat demonstrates an impressive capacity for both intra- and interspecific sociality and sociability. At the same time, however, large populations of domestic cats maintain various degrees of behavioural and reproductive autonomy and are capable of occupying solitary lifestyles away from humans and/or conspecifics. Within social groups, individuals can also vary in their tendency to engage in both affiliative and agonistic interactions, and this interindividual variation is present within free-living populations as well as those managed in confined environments by humans. Considerable scientific enquiry has focused on cats’ social behaviour towards humans (and conspecifics to a much lesser extent) in this latter context. Ontogeny and human selection, in addition to a range of proximate factors including social and environmental parameters and individual cat and human characteristics, have been highlighted as important moderators of cats’ sociability. Such factors may have important consequences regarding individuals’ adaptability to the diverse range of lifestyles that they may occupy. Where limitations to individuals’ social capacities do not enable sufficient adaption, compromises to their wellbeing may occur. This is most pertinent for cats managed by humans, given that the physical and social parameters of the cats’ environment are primarily dictated by people, but that positive human-selection for traits that enhance cats’ adaptability to such lifestyles appears to be limited. However, limitations in the availability and quality of evidence and equivocal findings may impede the current understanding of the role of certain factors in relation to cat sociability and associations with cat wellbeing, although such literature gaps also present important opportunities for further study. This review aims to summarise what is currently known about the various factors that may influence domestic cats’ sociality and sociability towards both humans and conspecifics, with a predominant focus on cats managed by humans in confined environments. Current limitations, knowledge gaps, and implications for cat wellbeing are also discussed.

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Predictors of proximity to others in colony housed shelter cats (Felis silvestris catus)

Cited by 6 publications

References 19 publications

A Comparison of Cats (Felis silvestris catus) Housed in Groups and Single Cages at a Shelter: A Retrospective Matched Cohort Study

A Comparison of Cats (Felis silvestris catus) Housed in Groups and Single Cages at a Shelter: A Retrospective Matched Cohort Study

2024 AAFP intercat tension guidelines: recognition, prevention and management

Conspecific and Human Sociality in the Domestic Cat: Consideration of Proximate Mechanisms, Human Selection and Implications for Cat Welfare

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