Stable individual differences in vocalisation and motor activity during acute stress in the domestic cat

Urrutia, Andrea; Martínez-Byer, Sandra; Szenczi, Péter; Hudson, Robyn; Bánszegi, Oxana

doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2019.05.022

Cited by 20 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…Excessive vocalization is a common sign in dogs with separation anxiety [23]. As previously mentioned, for adult cats vocalization is an indicator of stress [60] and also of SRP [4,15] and, as such, it was included in the questionnaire. We obtained a prevalence of 63.33% for this behavior in the sample, making this the second most reported sign for owners of cats from SRP group.…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Identification of separation-related problems in domestic cats: A questionnaire survey

et al. 2020

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Identifying and preventing the occurrence of separation-related problems (SRP) in companion animals are relevant to animal welfare and the quality of human-pet interactions. The SRP are defined as a set of behaviors and physiological signs displayed by the animal when separated from its attachment person. In cats, SRP has been insufficiently studied. Thus, the objective of this study was to develop a questionnaire for cat owners which identifies behaviors that may indicate SRP, as well as relates the occurrence of SRP to the management practices applied in the sampled cats. The associations of SRP with cats' characteristics, as well as owner, environmental, and management traits were investigated. The questionnaire was developed based on the scientific literature about separation anxiety syndrome in dogs and a few papers in cats, and it was completed by 130 owners of 223 cats. Analysis of owners' answers was done through categorization and acquisition of relative frequencies of each response category, followed by Fisher's exact test, chi-square tests in contingency table and Multiple Correspondence Analysis. Among the sampled animals, 13.45% (30 / 223) met at least one of the behavioral criteria we used to define SRP. Destructive behavior was the most frequently reported behavior (66.67%, 20 / 30), followed by excessive vocalization (63.33%, 19 / 30), urination in inappropriate places (60.00%, 18 / 30), depression-apathy (53.33%, 16 / 30), aggressiveness (36.67%, 11 / 30) and agitationanxiety (36.67%, 11 / 30) and, in lower frequency, defecation in inappropriate places (23.33%, 7 / 30). The occurrence of SRP was associated with the number of females living in the residence (P = 0.01), with not having access to toys (P = 0.04), and no other animal residing in the house (P = 0.04). Separation-related problems in domestic cats are difficult to identify due to the limited amount of knowledge regarding the issue. The questionnaire developed in this study supported identification of the main behaviors likely related to SRP in cats and could be used as a starting point for future research.

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Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Identification of separation-related problems in domestic cats: A questionnaire survey

et al. 2020

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“…According to the widely accepted concept of temperament, consistency is a fundamental condition for a given behavior to be considered a temperament trait [23,25]. Therefore, in terms of assessment, measurements are commonly conducted multiple times with the same individual and/or various tests are applied [21,78,79]. A set of temperament measures have frequently been used [80].…”

Section: How Has Temperament Been Assessed In Cats?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to the duration of behavioral observations, temperament assessment can be conducted using short-or long-term measures. For the former, animals have been exposed to momentaneous situations (or stimuli), through standardized behavioral tests in controlled environmental conditions (i.e., experimental settings) [26,79]. In most of these studies, tests lasted from 1 to 10 min [20,79,80].…”

Section: Short-vs Long-term Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For the former, animals have been exposed to momentaneous situations (or stimuli), through standardized behavioral tests in controlled environmental conditions (i.e., experimental settings) [26,79]. In most of these studies, tests lasted from 1 to 10 min [20,79,80]. Although situations that elicit positive mental states could be used [80], most of the temperament studies involved tests with potentially stressful or challenging situations, such as physical restraint, separation, or an unpleasant stimulus, e.g., a spray bath [67,69,79].…”

Section: Short-vs Long-term Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In most of these studies, tests lasted from 1 to 10 min [20,79,80]. Although situations that elicit positive mental states could be used [80], most of the temperament studies involved tests with potentially stressful or challenging situations, such as physical restraint, separation, or an unpleasant stimulus, e.g., a spray bath [67,69,79]. The goal of these studies was to reveal individual emotional and behavioral variability by exposing cats to brief situations that create a certain pressure.…”

Section: Short-vs Long-term Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Temperament in Domestic Cats: A Review of Proximate Mechanisms, Methods of Assessment, Its Effects on Human—Cat Relationships, and One Welfare

Travnik

Machado

Gonçalves

et al. 2020

Animals

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Temperament can be defined as interindividual differences in behavior that are stable over time and in different contexts. The terms ‘personality’, ‘coping styles’, and ‘behavioral syndromes’ have also been used to describe these interindividual differences. In this review, the main aspects of cat temperament research are summarized and discussed, based on 43 original research papers published between 1986 and 2020. We aimed to present current advances in cat temperament research and identify potential gaps in knowledge, as well as opportunities for future research. Proximate mechanisms, such as genetic bases of temperament, ontogenesis and developmental factors, physiological mechanisms, and relationships with morphology, were reviewed. Methods traditionally used to assess the temperament of cats might be classified based on the duration of procedures (short- vs. long-term measures) and the nature of data recordings (coding vs. rating methods). The structure of cat temperament is frequently described using a set of behavioral dimensions, primarily based on interindividual variations in cats’ responses toward humans and conspecifics (e.g., friendliness, sociability, boldness, and aggressiveness). Finally, cats’ temperaments have implications for human–animal interactions and the one welfare concept. Temperament assessment can also contribute to practical aspects, for example, the adoption of shelter cats.

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Emergence of personality in weaning‐age kittens of the domestic cat?

Urrutia

Bánszegi

Szenczi

et al. 2022

Developmental Psychobiology

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Individual differences in behavior (animal personality) have recently received much attention although less so in young mammals. We tested 74 preweaning‐age kittens from 16 litters of domestic cats in five everyday contexts repeated three times each across a 3‐week period: a handling test where an experimenter held the kitten, a test where a piece of raw beef was given to the kitten and gradually withdrawn, a test where the kitten was presented with a live mouse in a jar, a test where the kitten was briefly confined in a pet carrier, and an encounter with an unfamiliar human who first remained passive and then attempted to stroke the kitten. We found consistent individual differences in behavior in all tests except with the mouse, although less marked than in equivalent tests with adult cats. Differences in behavior were unrelated to sex, body mass, litter size, or maternal identity. We found only weak correlations in results among the tests (behavioral syndromes), again unlike findings in adult cats. We conclude that weanling kittens show consistent individual differences in behavior but in a different manner to adults. If and how the pattern of such differences changes across development remains to be studied.

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Stable individual differences in vocalisation and motor activity during acute stress in the domestic cat

Cited by 20 publications

References 56 publications

Identification of separation-related problems in domestic cats: A questionnaire survey

Identification of separation-related problems in domestic cats: A questionnaire survey

Temperament in Domestic Cats: A Review of Proximate Mechanisms, Methods of Assessment, Its Effects on Human—Cat Relationships, and One Welfare

Emergence of personality in weaning‐age kittens of the domestic cat?

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