Understanding feline feelings: An investigation of cat owners’ perceptions of problematic cat behaviors

Abstract

Undesirable feline behaviors can detrimentally effects on the human-cat relationship, owner satisfaction, and animal welfare. This study explored cat owners’ perceptions of cat behavior and identified specific behaviors that owners found problematic. Cat owners voluntarily completed an online survey about their cat’s behavior (Fe-BARQ) between January 2016 and December 2022 (n = 4941). We examined owners’ perceptions of their cats’ behavior problems on an ordinal scale (no problems, minor problems, moderate to serious problems) relative to cat age, sex, neuter status, declaw status, outdoor access, Fe-BARQ subscales and miscellaneous items using Pearson Chi Square tests, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and mixed effects ordinal logistic regression models. Almost all Fe-BARQ subscales and miscellaneous items were associated with owners’ perceptions of their cats’ behavioral problems in the univariate analysis, excluding predatory behavior, prey interest, vocalizations, location preferences for resting, and lying on items when in use. Multivariate analysis showed owners were more likely to perceive their cat’s behavior as problematic if the cat exhibited owner-directed aggression (OR 2.31, 95% CI 2.01–2.65), familiar cat aggression (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.55–1.96), urine spraying (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.53–2.00), crepuscular activity (OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.24–1.53), fear of novelty (OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.05–1.24) or escaping behavior (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.07–1.23). Cats who readily adapted to change (OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.74–0.89), slept on appliances/elevated spaces (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.79–0.98), or kneaded (OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.85–0.96) were less likely to be perceived as problematic. Our results suggest cat owners were more likely to view their cat’s behavior as problematic if the behavior directly affected their lifestyle or environment, such as aggression, house soiling or activity during the night, while other behaviors, such as separation-related behavior, excessive self-grooming, and predatory behavior, did not influence owners’ perceptions of cat behavior within the multivariate models. Further education may help cat owners to recognize the importance of these other behaviors as indicators of animal welfare and understand the wider impacts of cat behavior, including through predation on wildlife.