An owner survey of toys,activities, and behavior problems in indoor cats |
| |
| Institution: | 1. Veterinary Behavior Solutions, Fall Branch, Tennessee;2. Appalachian Veterinary Specialists, Knoxville, Tennessee;1. Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal;2. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Lusophone University of Humanities and Technologies, Lisbon, Portugal;3. School of Psychology and Life Sciences, Lusophone University of Humanities and Technologies, Lisbon, Portugal;4. COPELABS—Cognition and People-centric Computing Laboratories, Lusophone University of Humanities and Technologies, Lisbon, Portugal;5. CIISA—Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal;1. Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, 1920 Coffey Rd, Columbus, OH 43210, USA;2. Department of Animal Sciences, College of Agriculture, Purdue University, 125 S. Russell St., West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA;3. Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, 601 Vernon L. Tharp St., Columbus, OH 43210, USA;2. Plymouth University, A426 Portland Square, Drake Circus, Devon. PL4 8AA, UK |
| |
| Abstract: | The objective of this study was to survey the owners regarding the frequency and duration of their daily interactions with their indoor cats, the provision of toys and activities by the cat owners, and the prevalence of 6 selected behavior problems (aggression to owner, aggression to visitors, periuria, inappropriate defecation, inter-household cat aggression, and intercat aggression to outdoor cats). The sample population was 277 clients from 5 veterinary practices who presented their domestic cat for anything except a behavior problem. The average number of toys and activities reported by owners per cat was 7, and the most common toys/activities used by owners in this survey were furry mice (64%), catnip toys (62%), and balls with bells (62%). A total of 78% of the owners reported that they leave the cat's toy(s) available all the time. All owners reported playing with their cat, whereas most owners (64%) played with their cat more than 2 times per day and reported play bout durations of 5 (33%) or 10 minutes (25%). Owners who reported play bout time of 5 minutes or more reported fewer behavioral problems than those with play bouts of 1 minute (P < 0.05). A total of 61% of the owners reported that their cat engaged in 1 or more of the 6 selected behavior problem(s), but only 54% of the owners who reported behavior problems in their cats reported that they had talked to their veterinarian about the problem. The 2 most frequently reported behavior problems were aggression to the owners (36%) and periuria (24%). Female cats were 50% less likely to be reported to have 1 or more behavior problems than males despite an equal sex distribution in the survey population (P < 0.05). The relationship between individual behavior problems and individual toys and activities was evaluated by use of a logistic stepwise regression. These findings are discussed as they relate to the understanding of behavioral needs of indoor-housed cats and the potential role of environmental enrichment in the home setting. |
| |
| Keywords: | feline enrichment play behavior behavior problems |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
