Daiana de Souza Machado

Despite the growing preference for cats as companion animals, beliefs and misperceptions about them are still common. Cultural and sociodemographic aspects can influence society’s attitudes towards cats, affecting the way they are kept and cared for and, consequently, their welfare. This narrative review aimed to identify and categorize beliefs and misconceptions about domestic cats commonly described in the scientific literature, particularly those related to behavior, sociality, health, and management, in order to foster critical thinking about these perceptions. Our bibliographic search included three electronic databases (Web of Science, PubMed and Scopus). This review highlights a set of recurrent beliefs of general society reported by the scientific literature, such as the perception of cats as independent and non-social animals, bringers of bad luck, incapable of forming emotional bonds with their guardians, or in need of outdoor access to thrive. Although widespread, many of these beliefs lack empirical support. Identifying and fostering critical reflection on such beliefs can contribute to deconstructing them, improving the guardian–cat relationship and enhancing the welfare of both cats and humans.

Domestic cats (Felis catus) currently occupy the 38th place in the Global Invasive Species Database. Free-roaming cats potentially have broad-ranging impacts on wildlife, occupying most terrestrial environments globally as house pets, strays, or feral animals. In Australia, for example, cats are responsible for the decline in many vertebrate populations and extinction of several native mammals. However, in Brazil, few studies have explored either direct impacts of predation on wildlife, or other indirect impacts, such as competition for resources, niche overlap, hybridization, and disease transmission. In this review, we summarize and discuss 34 original research reports, published between 2001 and 2020, on impacts of free-roaming cats in Brazil. We briefly contextualize the history of cat domestication and present that, in Brazil, more studies have focused on the potential of free-roaming cats to transmit disease than to exert impacts via predation or competition on wildlife. More studies were conducted in Brazilian mainland areas (n = 23)—notably in Atlantic Forest—than on islands (n = 11). The review highlights potential impacts of cats on wildlife. We also discuss how control management strategies can affect the welfare of domestic cats, identifying potential knowledge gaps as well as opportunities for future research. Finally, understanding risks of cat predation is necessary to inform future measures to mitigate impacts on wildlife, without neglecting cat welfare.

Environmental enrichment designed in accordance with the cats' individuality and household characteristics is one of the most effective and widely used tools to enhance feline welfare. This study aimed to evaluate the types of environmental enrichments provided by cat guardians and their associations with housing features and cat personality. An online questionnaire was developed including questions about types of enrichment provided, housing features (indoor vs. outdoor, house vs. apartment), and a scale with 18 personality traits. A total of 3,083 responses were collected. Most of the guardians declared to provide environmental enrichment items for their cats. The items most offered were play interaction (77.4%), access to a balcony and/or window with a protective net (72.7%), places to hide (54.5%), and toys (46.0%). The items with lower frequencies were water fountains (34.5%), self-groomers (11.3%), outdoor walks on a leash (6.5%), and food puzzles (3.5%). The choice of enrichment items was more related to housing features than to the cat's personality. Enrichment provision was more associated with indoor housing and cats living in apartments than with cats living outdoors and in houses.

The quality of cat care practices depends in part on the type of management applied, which either positively or negatively impacts cat welfare. This study investigated whether the type of cat management (indoor vs. outdoor) was related to other cat care practices adopted by cat owners, associated with the quality of human-cat relationships and cat welfare. An online survey was distributed via social networks. Descriptive statistics, categorical Principal Component Analysis, Fisher’s Exact test and Chi-square test in contingency table were applied. A total of 16,302 cat owners returned the survey. Most Brazilian owners reported indoor management of their cats; this was related to owners living in apartments, more frequent use of cat care practices, and more interactions with their pets. Outdoor management was related to cats living in houses or farms, sleeping outdoors or around the neighborhood, and owners had fewer interaction with their pets. In conclusion, owners practicing indoor management seemed to be closer to their cats than owners reporting outdoor management. However, obesity and owner-reported behavioral problems were associated with indoor management.

Temperament can be defined as interindividual differences in behavior that are stable over time and in different contexts. The terms ‘personality’, ‘coping styles’, and ‘behavioral syndromes’ have also been used to describe these interindividual differences. In this review, the main aspects of cat temperament research are summarized and discussed, based on 43 original research papers published between 1986 and 2020. We aimed to present current advances in cat temperament research and identify potential gaps in knowledge, as well as opportunities for future research. Proximate mechanisms, such as genetic bases of temperament, ontogenesis and developmental factors, physiological mechanisms, and relationships with morphology, were reviewed. Methods traditionally used to assess the temperament of cats might be classified based on the duration of procedures (short- vs. long-term measures) and the nature of data recordings (coding vs. rating methods). The structure of cat temperament is frequently described using a set of behavioral dimensions, primarily based on interindividual variations in cats’ responses toward humans and conspecifics (e.g., friendliness, sociability, boldness, and aggressiveness). Finally, cats’ temperaments have implications for human–animal interactions and the one welfare concept. Temperament assessment can also contribute to practical aspects, for example, the adoption of shelter cats.

Identifying and preventing the occurrence of separation-related problems (SRP) in companion animals are relevant to animal welfare and the quality of human-pet interactions. The SRP are defined as a set of behaviors and physiological signs displayed by the animal when separated from its attachment person. In cats, SRP has been insufficiently studied. Thus, the objective of this study was to develop a questionnaire for cat owners which identifies behaviors that may indicate SRP, as well as relates the occurrence of SRP to the management practices applied in the sampled cats. The associations of SRP with cats’ characteristics, as well as owner, environmental, and management traits were investigated. The questionnaire was developed based on the scientific literature about separation anxiety syndrome in dogs and a few papers in cats, and it was completed by 130 owners of 223 cats. Analysis of owners’ answers was done through categorization and acquisition of relative frequencies of each response category, followed by Fisher’s exact test, chi-square tests in contingency table and Multiple Correspondence Analysis. Among the sampled animals, 13.45% (30 / 223) met at least one of the behavioral criteria we used to define SRP. Destructive behavior was the most frequently reported behavior (66.67%, 20 / 30), followed by excessive vocalization (63.33%, 19 / 30), urination in inappropriate places (60.00%, 18 / 30), depression-apathy (53.33%, 16 / 30), aggressiveness (36.67%, 11 / 30) and agitation-anxiety (36.67%, 11 / 30) and, in lower frequency, defecation in inappropriate places (23.33%, 7 / 30). The occurrence of SRP was associated with the number of females living in the residence (P = 0.01), with not having access to toys (P = 0.04), and no other animal residing in the house (P = 0.04). Separation-related problems in domestic cats are difficult to identify due to the limited amount of knowledge regarding the issue. The questionnaire developed in this study supported identification of the main behaviors likely related to SRP in cats and could be used as a starting point for future research.

A permissão do livre acesso à rua e outros ambientes externos aos gatos domésticos (Felis silvestris catus) por seus tutores pode gerar muitos problemas. Os transtornos causados pela presença destes animais vão desde sérios impactos à fauna local das regiões com populações de gatos ferais e semi-domiciliados, até a disseminação de doenças graves. Gatos que não possuem áreas de vida delimitadas por seus tutores estão susceptíveis a sofrerem maus-tratos, contrair e disseminar patógenos e parasitos, sendo muitas das doenças veiculadas por eles, tidas como zoonoses. Portanto, o objetivo deste trabalho foi oferecer elementos e informações precisas que embasem uma reflexão acerca da importância de um manejo apropriado e tutela responsável do gato doméstico. Um método eficaz para solucionar os problemas associados ao livre acesso dos gatos à rua é a delimitação do espaço usado pelos mesmos. Animais que permanecem dentro de casa, em geral, estão seguros e com potencial de apresentar níveis adequados de bem-estar, além de não causarem impactos à fauna silvestre nem no bem-estar de outros animais domésticos.

Entende-se por síndrome de ansiedade por separação (SAS) o conjunto de respostas fisiológicas e comportamentais, exibidas isoladamente ou em associação, por um dado animal quando na ausência de uma figura de apego. A SAS tornou-se um problema comportamental comumente reportado nos animais de companhia, sendo descritos sérios impactos sobre a qualidade da interação humano-animal e o bem-estar animal, em especial, dos cães. Por sua vez, para os gatos, tal temática tem sido abordada ainda de forma muito tímida, embora existam relatos de sua ocorrência na literatura científica. Os sinais comportamentais frequentemente relacionados à SAS são: reatividade anômala, vocalização excessiva, eliminação de fezes e / ou de urina em locais inadequados, comportamentos destrutivos e autolimpeza excessiva. A identificação e compreensão dos sintomas relacionados a este distúrbio, bem como, dos fatores que predispõe os animais a desenvolverem SAS, são de suma importância. Neste artigo será apresentada uma revisão sobre os principais fatores de risco já relacionados com a ocorrência de ansiedade por separação em cães e gatos domésticos, dentre eles, algumas características do próprio animal, do tutor e do ambiente de criação. Serão apontadas lacunas no conhecimento atual sobre a SAS, a fim de estimular mais pesquisas sobre este tema, que possam contribuir para a melhoraria do bem-estar, tanto dos animais, quanto das pessoas que com eles convivem.

Estudos envolvendo o gato doméstico têm sido desenvolvidos, no entanto, ainda são poucos os que avaliam padrões comportamentais e relações interespecíficas. Problemas de comportamento causam transtornos na relação do gato e seu tutor, podendo levar ao abandono do animal, sendo de grande importância a compreensão do comportamento do mesmo para que se possa promover o seu bem estar. Assim, o presente estudo visou investigar o comportamento afiliativo de gatos domésticos cativos frente a presença humana. Foram estudados 16 animais, 06 machos e 10 fêmeas, abrigados no gatil da Sociedade Juizforense de Proteção Animal. Foi possível dividir os indivíduos em três grupos: (I) animais que se aproximam (37,5%, n=9), (II) animais que não se afastam (56,25%, n=6) e (III) animais que se afastam (6,25%, n=1). Ainda que poucas divergências comportamentais tenham sido notadas, elas podem estar relacionadas a características hereditárias e ao histórico de vida, visto que são animais abandonados e/ou resgatados das ruas, alguns com histórico de maus tratos. Foi possível observar animais pouco estimulados, sendo a chegada de visitantes e a presença do investigador, os únicos estímulos oferecidos.