Environmental Effects on Feline Behavior
Open Access
- Author:
- Mazzarella, Alexia
- Area of Honors:
- Animal Sciences
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Nancy Ann Dreschel, Thesis Supervisor
Troy Ott, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- multi-cat households
cat behavior
feline aggression
feline fear
feline behavior
feline declawing
environmental effects
feline playfulness
feline sociability - Abstract:
- Within the past decade, cats have become valued members of the family. Many of these household cats exhibit normal predatory behavior that is a result of their evolution from predatory animals to domesticated pets. Many owners are unaware of the normalcy of these predatory traits, and instead associate these behaviors with aggression or fear. As a result, many cats are relinquished to shelters because of these predatorial behavior issues. To increase the owner's awareness of normal cat behavior and decrease the number of relinquished cats to shelters, more information must be made accessible. Information must be collected and shared on how a cat's living environment affects their level of aggression and fear toward their owner, strangers, and other animals. Survey data were collected from cat owners on their cat’s living environment and their cat’s level of aggression and fear in different situations. The answers to these surveys were analyzed through Excel to conclude if aggression levels varied from one environment versus another. The study also measured if other factors, such as declawing, influences fear and aggression levels. Results showed that a cat’s living environment showed little influence on the aggression and fear levels of cats. However, results did show that cats that lived only indoors had a greater fear of novelty, but a lower fear of unfamiliar cat/dogs that entered the household compared to cats with free access outdoors. Cats that lived only indoors also had a greater playfulness/activity score when compared with cats that had access outdoors. Cats with free access to the outdoors showed higher predatory aggression than cats that lived only indoors. Cats that lived only indoors and cats with limited access outdoors had a lower familiar cat aggression score when compared with cats with free access outdoors. Cats with only their front paws declawed had a higher aggression score compared to cats who had all their paws declawed. Cats with all their paws declawed had a lower aggression score compared to cats who were not declawed. Cats with front paws declawed and cats that were not declawed had higher aggression compared to cats with all paws declawed.