Abstract
Problem statement: This study highlights the potential of using silve r vine as an enrichment additive for felines. Approach: A literature review was conducted on the use of si lver vine since 1973. The articles were categorized into stud ies concerned with behavior, biological effects, beneficial uses, plant and chemical studies. Results: We found surprisingly few studies that utilized silver vine. There were only four studies concerned with the effect of silver vine on behavior and no behavior studies have been conducted since 1997. Only one study was found in the biological domain that explored the effects of silver vine on amygdal a (which was thought to affect sexual behavior) by surgically removing the amygdala. No studies in the biological domain were found afte r 1979. In contrast to studies of biology and behavior, the li terature contained sixteen articles on various aspe cts of plants with none published since 2008. Articles included studies on root pressure and shoot development, freezing temperatures and the cold-har diness of the plant. Others explored the fruit of t he plant and relationship with matatabi fruit gall mid ge, Pseudasphondylia matatabi that infected them. Eighteen articles on the beneficial uses of silver vine were found with none published since 2009 and twenty-two articles concerned with the chemistry of silver vine were found with two published since 2008. These articles concerned the organic chemistr y of compounds found in the plant, as well as the chemistry that occurred when P. matatabi infected the fruit, which produced new chemical co mpounds in the plant. In conducting the literature review, we uncovered an error in the literature where silve r vine was considered addictive to cats. We subsequen tly showed that no scientific data exists demonstrating any purported addictive properties of silver vine. The original conclusion that silver vine had addictive properties was based solely upon a single uncontrolled anecdote that, unfortunately , had been perpetuated in the literature to the prese nt day. Conclusion: Behavioral research on silver vine as an aid to enrichment devices for felines is an unexplored area. Silver vine has much potential for use with enrichment devices and is very easy to use.
Highlights
Enrichment devices are designed to enhance the quality of animal-human interactions and have become an active area of research (Shepherdson, 1998; Ellis, 2009; Tarou and Bashaw, 2007; Shyne, 2006)
In addition to enhancing animal-human interactions, enrichment devices can be used by veterinarians to improve the physiological well-being of sick animals such as those suffering from arthritis and obesity
We found no articles tactile examinations and blood draws and routine that support Leyhausen’s (1973) suggestion that silver behaviors such as moving between exhibits and vine is addictive to cats
Summary
Enrichment devices are designed to enhance the quality of animal-human interactions and have become an active area of research (Shepherdson, 1998; Ellis, 2009; Tarou and Bashaw, 2007; Shyne, 2006). In addition to enhancing animal-human interactions, enrichment devices can be used by veterinarians to improve the physiological well-being of sick animals such as those suffering from arthritis and obesity. One meta-analysis of 63 studies on effects of enrichment of mammals at zoos, 13 of which were on felines, found that enrichment decreased abnormal and stereotypical behaviors in 90% of the studies (Shyne, 2006). Many reports of feline enrichment focus on the use of food as enrichment. Some studies reported an increase in desirable activity, such as hunting in African lions (Powell, 1995), African
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More From: American Journal of Animal and Veterinary Sciences
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