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The effect of housing and handling practices on the welfare, behaviour and selection of domestic cats (Felis sylvestris catus) by adopters in an animal shelter

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2023

N Gourkow  and
D Fraser
N Gourkow*
Affiliation:
Animal Welfare Program, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver V6T 1Z4, Canada
D Fraser
Affiliation:
Animal Welfare Program, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver V6T 1Z4, Canada
*
* Contact for correspondence and request for reprints: ngourkow@spca.bc.ca
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Abstract

As adult cats can often be difficult to re-home, they may spend long periods in rescue shelters where barren housing and inconsistent handling can reduce their welfare. In this study, 165 adult cats in an animal shelter in Vancouver, Canada, were assigned to four treatments. The Basic Single treatment reflected typical conditions in that particular shelter, with cats handled in an inconsistent manner by various staff and housed singly in relatively barren cages. Three alternative treatments involved more consistent, positive handling by only the experimenter and research assistants, plus three housing conditions: Enriched Single (individual cages with opportunities to perch and hide), Basic Communal (group housing with opportunity for each cat to have personal space), and Enriched Communal (group housing enriched to encourage play and cat – cat interaction). The Basic Single treatment had the lowest percentage adopted in 21 days (45% versus 69-76% for other treatment, and higher stress scores than other treatments. The three alternative treatments did not differ significantly on any measure. Cats euthanised for poor health showed higher stress levels when alive than other cats. In a questionnaire, most adopters cited certain behavioural/emotional traits (‘friendly’, ‘playful’, ‘happy’) as reasons for selecting cats; these were generally associated with lower stress scores. The results suggest that consistent handling combined with a range of improved housing options can improve the chances of adoption for adult cats, perhaps by reducing fear-related behaviours that make cats less attractive to adopters.

Keywords

adoptionanimal shelteranimal welfareenrichmenthandlingshelter stress
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 15 , Issue 4 , November 2006 , pp. 371 - 377
Copyright
© 2006 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

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