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Cat behavior
\"Simple text and full-color photos introduce typical cat behavior\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
If You Tame Me
Nearly everyone who cares about them believes that dogs and cats have a sense of self that renders them unique. Traditional science and philosophy declare such notions about our pets to be irrational and anthropomorphic. Animals, they say, have only the crudest form of thought and no sense of self at all. Leslie Irvine'sIf You Tame Mechallenges these entrenched views by demonstrating that our experience of animals and their behavior tells a different story. Dogs and cats have been significant elements in human history and valued members of our households for centuries. Why do we regard these companions as having distinct personalities and as being irreplaceable? Leslie Irvine looks closely at how people form \"connections\" with dogs and cats available in adoption shelters and reflects on her own relationships with animals.If You Tame Memakes a persuasive case for the existence of a sense of self in companion animals and calls upon us to reconsider our rights and obligations regarding the non-human creatures in our lives.
eBook
To understand a cat : methodology and philosophy
To understand a cat: methodology and philosophy rests on the realization that the everyday behavior of a cat (but other animals too) should be understood through a new approach, namely methodological dualism. It appeals to mechanistic explanation models and to mentalistic explanation models. It puts up the methodological idea that these models have to be combined in one theoretical structure according to the scientific game-rules. This approach shows that specific mentalistic explanations are generated from explanation models or schemes, which meet the demands of the scientific games-rules; and it proposes a new theoretical structure called the multi-explanation theory to generate particular theories, which provide us with efficient explanations for behavioral phenomena. The book delves deep into anthropomorphism, and the complex question of whether a cat has consciousness and free will, and examines the intricate relations of the mental, the computational, and the neurophysiological.(Series A).
eBook
Affectionate Interactions of Cats with Children Having Autism Spectrum Disorder
Mental and physical benefits of dogs have been reported for adults and children with special needs, but less is known about benefits of cats for children. A cat that can be held by a child could provide important therapeutic companionship for children with severe or less severe autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who otherwise may lack prosocial behaviors. Because relatively little is known about the behavior of cats around children, we conducted this study. Phase 1 gathered web-survey data from families having an adult cat and a child with ASD (
= 64). In Phase 2, there were direct telephone interviews of parents having a child with severe ASD (
= 16) or less severe ASD (
= 11), or typical development (
= 17). From the Phase 1 web survey of families with ASD children (full range of severities), affectionate interactions of the cats with children were common. Most parents with ASD children volunteered positive comments regarding the cat, such as calming the child, being a soothing protector or a guardian. In the interviews in Phase 2, for all three groups, most parents characterized cats as at least moderately affectionate toward the child. However, cats living with severe ASD children were reported to exhibit less affection than those living with typically developing children or children with less severe ASD. A minority of cats in each group showed some aggression to the specified child; this was not elevated with ASD children. Responses suggested that the cats adopted as kittens were more affectionate and less aggressive to all categories of children than those adopted as adults. Overall, participants reported that ASD children's behaviors indicated that they valued the relationship with the cat, similar to typically developing children, pointing to the importance and potential usefulness of selecting affectionate and compatible cats for ASD children.
Journal Article
Evaluating undesired scratching in domestic cats : a multifactorial approach to understand risk factors
Introduction: Despite being a natural feline behavior, scratching can become undesirable from a human perspective when directed at household items. This complex behavior can stem from various motivations, ranging from individual cat characteristics to environmental factors. This study investigates the factors influencing the increased level of undesirable scratching behavior in domestic cats, considering both cat-related and environmental aspects. Methods: Data from 1,211 cats were collected for this study. An online questionnaire comprising three sections was utilized. The first section gathered caregiver demographics, while the subsequent section examined aspects of cats’ daily routines, social interactions, environments, behaviours, and temperaments. The final section assessed the frequency and intensity of undesirable scratching behavior in cats. Scratching behavior was evaluated based on a combined scratching index. Results: The study suggests that the presence of a child may be associated with scratching episodes in the home environment. Additionally, factors such as play duration, playfulness, and nocturnal activity were identified as significant contributors to heightened scratching levels (p ≤ 0.05). Aggressiveness and disruptiveness also played significant roles in increased scratching behavior (p ≤ 0.05). The location of scratching posts emerged as a significant factor, with posts placed in areas frequented by the cat being more effective in redirecting scratching behavior (p ≤ 0.05). Discussion: This study reveals several significant associations between cat characteristics, nocturnal activity and play, as well as the environment. It underscores the multifaceted nature of undesirable scratching behavior and emphasizes the importance of comprehensively understanding both the individual characteristics of the cat and its environment to effectively address this behavior.
Journal
Dog in charge
When his human family goes to the store, Dog is left in charge of five wily cats.
Book
Compatibility of Cats With Children in the Family
Although studies involving pet dogs and cats, and human adults and children, have been reported, the specific interactions between cats and children have not. This study sought information from parents about the cat's role in families that have at least one child 3-12 years of age and at least one cat. Demographic data on cat source, breed, gender/neuter status, was sought as well as information on adults and children in the families and on affectionate, aggressive, fearful, and playful responses of the cats to children. A convenience sample was recruited via listservs for pet owners and parents. Using a pilot tested web survey, descriptive statistics were based on 865 respondents. Multi-variate statistical analyses were conducted on data from 665 respondents with complete responses for all items, including respondents' locations and whether cats were adopted as kittens. Multi-variate analyses included consideration of demographic data, geographic region of respondents, behavioral characteristics of the cats, and responses of the children to the cats. From descriptive statistics, cats' affection was more typical with adults than young children. Neuter status or gender was unrelated to cats' aggression or affection. Being the family's only cat was associated with heightened aggression and reduced affection. Younger cats were more likely to be affectionate. Multivariate analysis revealed three primary factors accounting for children's compatibility with the specified cat: positive interactions of the cat, aggression/fearfulness of cat, and the cat's playfulness and children's reaction to the cats. Positive child-cat relationships were more typical with two or more adults and multiple cats in the home. Old cats were the least satisfactory. A breeder or shelter was a better source than as a feral, from a newspaper ad, or another source. European respondents rated their cats' interactions with children more favorably than in U.S./Canada. This difference may reflect the European adoptions more frequently being of kittens, often purebred, assuring more early handling within the family. A noteworthy finding was that all family participants, humans, and pets alike, affect the cat-child relationship, and these results reveal that many variables can play a role in achieving a desirable relationship for a cat and child.
Journal Article