Beloved Whiskers: Management Type, Care Practices and Connections to Welfare in Domestic Cats

Daiana De Souza Machado,Luana Da Silva Gonçalves,Rogério Ribeiro Vicentini,Aline Cristina Sant’Anna,Maria Camila Ceballos

doi:10.3390/ani10122308

Daiana De Souza Machado, Luana Da Silva Gonçalves + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10122308

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Abstract

Simple SummaryLittle is known about the differences between indoor and outdoor cat management practices. Thus, our study investigated whether Brazilian cat owners’ management types were related to other cat care practices, the quality of human-animal interactions and cat welfare. We used social networks to distribute an online survey to cat owners. This survey included questions regarding owners’ sociodemographic data, type of management applied, cat care practices, and cat health and behavioral problems, as possible consequences of the management type. A total of 16,302 cat owners responded. Most (74.78%) owners reported providing indoor management for their cats; this corresponded to owners who lived in apartments and provided more cat care practices and interactions with their pets. Outdoor management was related to cats residing in farms or houses, sleeping outdoors, and having less interaction with their owners. We concluded that owners practicing indoor management were more likely to be closer to their cats than those reporting outdoor management, suggesting that the former may have more advantages related to closer human-animal relationships. It was noted, however, that indoor management was associated with obesity and owner-reported behavioral problems.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.

Highlights

According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística, IBGE), the number of domestic cats in Brazilian households has recently increased [1].Numbers of cats were 22 and 23.9 million in 2013 and 2018, respectively, an 8.1% increase [2]
For owners who reported outdoor handling, their cats did not stay in the same places as the owners, the cats were kept outdoors when the owner left the house, and they reported a lower frequency of cat care practices, characterizing an extensive management style
Three quarters of the Brazilian cat owners sampled reported indoor cat management. Among those reporting outdoor management, the primary reason was the layout of their house, not allowing them to limit their cats’ movements

Summary

Introduction

Numbers of cats were 22 and 23.9 million in 2013 and 2018, respectively, an 8.1% increase [2]. In Brazil, cats were the companion animal with the largest increase in population. The number of cats as pets has increased, research assessing issues related to their management and care practices in the domestic context has been scarce in Brazil. Regarding the welfare of domestic cats, an issue that frequently leads to controversies and debates is how cats are maintained, i.e., indoor or outdoor management [4,5]. In the United States, it is recommended that cats are kept indoors, being wholly confined within a residence, without access to the street [6,7]. In Australia, there is a duality in the types of cat management, with half of the respondents of a survey conducted in 2016 (51%)

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