The Human-Cat Relationship

Bernstein, Penny L.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-3227-1_3

Cited by 45 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 82 publications

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“…Cats are not eaten in South Korea and are not held in high regard in South Korea—few are kept as pets (and the majority of the people interviewed did not approve of cats as pets), in contrast to their popularity in most other countries around the world (see, for example, Bernstein, 2005). It seems that in South Korea these animals have historically been associated with witchcraft and evil (this association is common to the histories of many countries—see, e.g., Serpell, 2000), which still persists today.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Good to Pet and Eat: The Keeping and Consuming of Dogs and Cats in South Korea

Podberscek

2009

Journal of Social Issues

105

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Over the past few decades, there has been mounting criticism, mainly from Western societies, of the practice of consuming dogs and cats in South Korea. In the current study, I researched historical, cultural, and demographic details on, and South Korean people's attitudes to, this practice. Data were collected in two ways. Firstly, relevant information on the history and current status of dog and cat use, including consumption, was sourced from the academic literature, newspaper reports, websites, and animal welfare organizations. Secondly, in 2004, the polling agency Market & Opinion Research International (MORI) was contracted to survey 1,000 adults (15 years and above) in South Korea on their attitudes to keeping cats and dogs as pets and to the consumption of these species. The consumption of dogs has a long history in South Korea while the consumption of cats is more recent. Pet ownership is a more recent phenomenon and is growing steadily. Banning the eating of dogs was not supported in the survey. Unlike cat consumption, dog consumption is strongly linked to national identity in South Korea, and it seems that calls from the West to ban the practice are viewed by South Koreans as an attack on their culture.Research suggests that humans evolved from a vegetarian lifestyle to the one including meat in their diets around 2.5 million years ago (at the dawn of

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Good to Pet and Eat: The Keeping and Consuming of Dogs and Cats in South Korea

Podberscek

2009

Journal of Social Issues

105

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“…In New Zealand, 35–44% of households have at least one companion cat, making them the country’s most popular companion animal [ 1 , 2 ]. The presence of, and interaction with, companion cats is well documented to enhance the health and wellbeing of humans (e.g., [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]). Conversely, unregulated cat management is associated with negative societal effects, including the predation of wildlife and a reduction in the abundance of native species [ 2 , 7 , 8 ] of high cultural value, disease transmission [ 9 ], interbreeding and contribution to stray cat populations [ 10 ], nuisance behaviours (including fouling, fighting, and spraying) [ 11 , 12 ], and a risk of injury and death as a result of fighting, dog attacks, and traffic accidents [ 12 , 13 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Survey of Public Opinion on Cat (Felis catus) Predation and the Future Direction of Cat Management in New Zealand

Walker

Bruce

Dale

2017

Animals

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Simple SummaryThe need to balance the benefits of cat ownership with the prevention of wildlife predation in New Zealand evokes strong and opposing views. This paper evaluates public concern for wildlife predation by four categories of cats; owned cats, managed-stray cats, unmanaged-stray cats, and feral cats. In addition, public support for a National Cat Management Strategy and a range of management techniques are investigated. Although the participants expressed concern regarding wildlife predation by all four categories of cats, the highest levels of concern were predation by feral cats, followed by unmanaged stray cats, then managed stray cats, and finally owned cats. The large majority of participants were found to support the implementation of a National Cat Management Strategy. Management techniques for owned cats that obtained public support included; cat exclusion zones, limits on ownership numbers, microchipping, Council registration, and de-sexing. Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) was the favoured management technique for managed stray cats, while TNR and lethal management techniques were equally favoured for unmanaged stray cats. Lethal control methods were favoured for feral cats. The findings presented in this paper will be useful to consider during the development of legislation relating to cat management and predation in New Zealand.AbstractCat predation is a prominent issue in New Zealand that provokes strong and opposing views. We explored, via 1011 face-to-face questionnaires, public opinion on (a) support for a National Cat Management Strategy (78% support); (b) concern regarding predation of wildlife by owned and un-owned cats (managed stray, unmanaged stray, and feral cats); (c) the acceptability of management techniques for owned cats; and (d) the acceptability of population management techniques for un-owned cats. The highest concern was expressed regarding the predation of non-native and native wildlife by feral cats (60 and 86% repectively), followed by unmanaged stray cats (59 and 86% respectively), managed stray cats (54 and 82% respectively), and finally owned cats (38 and 69% repectively). Limits to the number of cats owned and cat restriction zones received high levels of support (>65%), and compulsory microchipping, Council registration, and de-sexing were supported by the majority (>58%). Public support of population control methods for unowned cats was explored, and the influence of participant demographic variables on responses is described. These findings provide insight into public opinion regarding the management of cats in New Zealand, which should be considered during the development of legislation in this area.

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“…They worry that cats may transmit diseases to humans and other animals (Barrows, 2004;Longcore, Rich, & Sullivan, 2009). Finally, some people, typically representing animal protection NGOs and cat owners, are concerned about the safety and health of the companion cats themselves (Bernstein, 2007;Rochlitz, 2004). They argue that roaming may lead to injuries or death caused by exposure to infectious diseases, traffic, cat fighting, and attacks by dogs and by predators such as raptors and coyotes.…”

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confidence: 99%

Roaming Companion Cats as Potential Causes of Conflict and Controversy: A Representative Questionnaire Study of the Danish Public

et al. 2018

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Cats have grown in popularity as companion animals, but there are also people who strongly dislike them. Companion cats allowed to roam freely outdoors are seen by some as a nuisance. This paper, drawing on research conducted in Denmark, aims to quantify potentially conflicting attitudes to cats among the public that may feed into cat-related conflicts and controversies. Questionnaire data were collected from a representative sample of the Danish population (n = 2,003), where 21% (n = 415) owned cats and 79% (n = 1,588) did not. In all, 65% of respondents confirmed that they liked cats, 21% reported that they did not, and 14% were undecided. The main reasons for disliking cats concerned "behavior," not hazards such as the spread of diseases and predation. Of the 21% of the surveyed Danes who reported that they currently had a cat in the household, 72% allowed their cat to roam outdoors. Sixty percent of the respondents did not perceive this as a problem. However, the potential for conflict was demonstrated by the fact that 27% of respondents regarded outdoor roaming as problematic. Of these, about a quarter saw free-roaming cats as a big problem and as a cause of strife between neighbors. Comparatively fewer of those who owned cats saw their animals as a cause of problems. Thus, only 12% of those owning outdoor cats thought that problems were

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The Human-Cat Relationship

Cited by 45 publications

References 82 publications

Good to Pet and Eat: The Keeping and Consuming of Dogs and Cats in South Korea

Good to Pet and Eat: The Keeping and Consuming of Dogs and Cats in South Korea

A Survey of Public Opinion on Cat (Felis catus) Predation and the Future Direction of Cat Management in New Zealand

Roaming Companion Cats as Potential Causes of Conflict and Controversy: A Representative Questionnaire Study of the Danish Public

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