Behavior Of Cats Research Articles

Food Preferences in Cats: Effect of Dietary Composition and Intrinsic Variables on Diet Selection.

Simple SummaryCats tend to retain food preferences across their lifetime, but intrinsic variables could affect their diet choices so as to preserve internal homoeostasis. This work intended to study the feeding behavior of cats in relation to diet composition and some intrinsic variables (sex, age, and body weight) by analyzing data from a 10-year database of two-feeder food preference tests (2007–2017). Diet mineral components (calcium, crude fiber and ashes) affected food preferences negatively. In addition, the influence of body weight and sex manifested as lower food intake in both females and the heaviest cats (relative to bodyweight). However, only body weight affected food preferences, where the heaviest animals presented the higher preferences overall. During the cold season, animals (especially females) displayed higher food intake, whereas hot seasons increased male cat preferences for palatable diets, hence we observed an interaction between sex and climate season. In conclusion, understanding the relationship that both food composition and some intrinsic variables cats have with their diet preference could help in improving the formulation of specific pet food diets, so that these adequately satisfy the physiological and hedonic needs of domestic cats.A ten-year database of food preference tests (n = 1021; period 2007−2017) was used to explore the feeding behavior of domestic cats. Principal component (PC) analysis and linear regression between food nutrients and preferences (for the most preferred diet of each test; Diet A) were performed. Intake and preference for Diet A were analyzed by intrinsic cats’ variables and climate season. The PC1 (calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), and ash), PC2 (lipids and ether extract) and PC4 (crude fiber; CF) had borderline significance (p < 0.06; β = −1.42, β = −1.56, and β = 2.68, respectively). Ash and CF contents presented negative correlations with food preference (rho = −0.269, p = 0.031; rho = −0.338, p = 0.006, respectively), and Ca had borderline significance and negative correlation with food preference (rho = −0.241, p = 0.054). Body weight and sex influenced the intake of Diet A, being lower for females (β = 11.758; p = 0.014) and heaviest cats (β = −5.490; p < 0.001). However, only body weight affected food preferences, where the heaviest cats had greater preferences for Diet A. Hot season decreased food intake (β = −2,117; p = 0.032), mostly in females (rho = −3.537; p = 0.002). Males had greater preferences for Diet A during hot seasons (β = 10.216; p = 0.023) and females presented similar preferences throughout the year (p = 0.950). Mineral contents, body weight and sex affected food intake and preferences of cats under the influence of climate season, probably explained by adaptive changes in food detection.

Изучение переносимости препарата «Инспектор Квадро Табс»

The purpose of the research is to study the tolerability of the complex drug for veterinary use “Inspector Kvadro Tabs” on animals in increased doses. Materials and methods. Studies were conducted in veterinary clinics in Moscow (LLC LEBEN and LLC Vet Cat) and based on FSBSI VNIIGIS named after K. I. Skryabin. To study the effect of the drug on the animals' organism, 3 groups of 5 clinically healthy outbred animals were formed: cats of 1–2 years old weighing 3–6 kg, kittens of 7–12 weeks old weighing 600–1100 g, dogs of 1–3 years old weighing 8–11 kg, puppies 7–11 weeks old weighing 1–6 kg. The drug was used in 2- and 5-times increased doses three times with an interval of 7 days. During the experiment, the animals were monitored daily, noting their general condition, behavior, appetite, controlled their weight, and body temperature. Results and discussion. It is established that Inspector Quadro Tabs in 2 and 5 times increased doses has a good tolerability of animals, does not adversely affect the general condition and behavior of cats, kittens, dogs and puppies. In the process of the experiment, no deviations of hematological, biochemical and urological parameters were noted.

Malnutrition screening in patients with pancreatic disorders

Cancer patients often experience multiple emotional distresses, particularly the fear of death. However, there are rare studies to assess the direct effect of the fear of death on disease progression.Xenograft pancreatic cancer animal models were established in nude mice. Fear stress was induced to tumor bearing mice by closely housing with a cat and depressive behaviors were measured using open field test, forced swimming test, and sucrose consumption test. Plasma adrenaline concentration was measured using ELISA.Fear stress induced depression-like behaviors in tumor bearing mice which were accompanied with increases in tumor growth, plasma adrenaline levels as well as the protein expression of alpha 2 adrenergic receptor (α2 AR) and beta 2 adrenergic receptor (β2-AR) in tumor tissues. The β-adrenergic antagonist propranolol (Pro) treatment blocked the effect of stress on tumor growth in pancreatic cancer xenograft animal model, but had no effects on the levels of plasma adrenaline level, and α2 AR and β2-AR expression in tumor tissues. Moreover, fear stress increased Frizzled-1, Wnt1, vimentin, but decreased E-cadherin protein expression in tumor tissues, while Pro reversed the effects of fear stress on the expression of these proteins.Fear of death impacted the growth of PDAC tumor though activation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Treating pancreatic cancer patients with β-adrenergic antagonist implicates an effective strategy to treat cancer including PDAC.

Breed differences of heritable behaviour traits in cats

Cat domestication and selective breeding have resulted in tens of breeds with major morphological differences. These breeds may also show distinctive behaviour differences; which, however, have been poorly studied. To improve the understanding of feline behaviour, we examined whether behavioural differences exist among cat breeds and whether behaviour is heritable. For these aims, we utilized our extensive health and behaviour questionnaire directed to cat owners and collected a survey data of 5726 cats. Firstly, for studying breed differences, we utilized logistic regression models with multiple environmental factors and discovered behaviour differences in 19 breeds and breed groups in ten different behaviour traits. Secondly, the studied cat breeds grouped into four clusters, with the Turkish Van and Angora cats alone forming one of them. These findings indicate that cat breeds have diverged not only morphologically but also behaviourally. Thirdly, we estimated heritability in three breeds and obtained moderate heritability estimates in seven studied traits, varying from 0.4 to 0.53, as well as phenotypic and genetic correlations for several trait pairs. Our results show that it is possible to partition the observed variation in behaviour traits into genetic and environmental components, and that substantial genetic variation exists within breed populations.

Domestic Cat Predation on Garden Birds: An Analysis from European Ringing Programmes

Domestic Cat Felis silvestris catus populations have been increasing since the 1970s in Western Europe. This increase is particularly notable in human habitats, such as gardens and parks, where Cats have locally become the most abundant carnivore. In urban contexts, understanding Cat behaviour could be important for biodiversity management. In this study, we analysed Cat predation on garden birds, using existing data from ringing programmes in France and Belgium. These types of data permit us to (1) investigate the bird species killed by Cats, (2) analyse changes in the proportion of birds killed by Cats over the years 2000–2015, and (3) compare the causes of bird mortality as reported by observers. The most affected species were passerines, both granivorous and insectivorous (Europian Robin Erithacus rubecula, Dunnock Prunella modularis, Greenfinch Carduelis chloris), who can frequently be found feeding on the ground or visiting feeders in the winter. Perched birds (Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita, Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla) were less represented. Ground-dwelling habits were significantly correlated to predation rates. Between 2000 and 2015, Cat-related mortality in garden birds increased by at least 50%, depending on the ringing programme studied, which coincided with an increase in Cat populations. Cat-related mortality is one of the leading causes of death reported by observers (12.8–26.3% of total dead birds) and occurs at the same order of magnitude as deaths due to collisions with windows. These results underline the need to consider Cats and their potential impacts on urban biodiversity management at garden and urban levels.

The use of animal-borne cameras to video-track the behaviour of domestic cats

Free roaming domestic animals can have a profound effect on wildlife. To better understand and mitigate any impact, it is important to understand the behaviour patterns of the domestic animals, and how other variables might influence their behaviour. Direct observation is not always feasible and bears the potential risk of observer effects. The use of animal-borne small video-cameras provides the opportunity to study behaviour from the animal’s point of view. While video-tracking has been used previously to study specific aspects of the behaviour of a species, it has not been used so far to determine detailed time-budgets. The aim of this study was to provide and validate an ethogram based on cat-camera footage collected from 16 cats (Felis catus). The methodology was validated comparing films recorded simultaneously, from both collar-mounted video recorders and hand-held video recorders. Additionally, the inter-observer reliability of scorers was measured. Continuous and instantaneous recording regimes were compared, and behavioural accumulation curves were evaluated to provide further technique recommendations for video-tracking cats. Video-tracking allows scoring of behaviour as reliably as direct observation (linear mixed effects model: t < 0.001, P = 0.99; df = 14 in 7 cats; Cohen's κ = 0.88). Furthermore, inter-observer reliability was high (Cohen's κ = 0.72) and was not significantly different from 0.8 (one-sample t-test: t = 1.15. df = 5, P = 0.30), indicating that the method is not subject to bias in observers. Recommendations are given for the most efficient scoring protocol to reliably record feline behaviour. While the validation was concerned with cat behaviour, the approach can be easily adapted for a variety of domestic species, as well as some captive animals. Video-tracking offers a new avenue to investigate both general time-budgets and more specific behaviours such as foraging or space use from the animal's point of view and in its normal environment, without restrictions to movement. Insights gained through video-tracking will be relevant to various conservation and animal welfare issues.

Клинический случай применения трициклического антидепрессанта амитриптилина в лечении кошки с межвидовой агрессией по отношению к человеку

The treatment effect of Amitriptyline on the cat with aggression against humans was shown. Before the treatment the cat attacked on the members of family, bit them, demonstratively threatened, hissed. During the first weeks the cat obtained the preparation with the fodder twice a day at the dose 0.5 mg/kg with the interval 12 h. During the therapy the following was noted: 1) the effect of the overdose, when one-time dose was 2 mg/kg. The mydriasis, dyspnoea, decrease of the aggressive behavior intensity were noted. The sedative effect of amitriptyline was clearly shown; 2) the effect of the sharp cancellation of the drug. The recurrence of aggression was observed. The cat attacked on the member of family and bit him; 3) the effect of smooth cancellation of drug. The weak sedative influence of drug on the cat behavior was noted. This clinical case showed that Amitriptyline can be used in the treatment of cats with hyper-aggression against humans.

3106 The influence of early life experience on telomere length, health, and behavior of domestic cats

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: The primary objective of this research is to determine whether being hand-reared, and deprived of early maternal interaction, will affect telomere length in orphaned kittens. The secondary goal is to examine how early maternal separation impacts the health, growth and behavior of orphaned kittens. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Kittens were fostered through local rescue groups and shelters. We collected blood samples from 42 orphaned kittens during the first week of their lives. Due to high mortality of this population, we obtained a second blood sample at eight weeks of age from only 30 of these kittens. We collected blood samples from 12 control kittens raised with mothers at during the first and eighth weeks of life. Blood samples are currently being processed with real time quantitative PCR (qPCR) by the Real-time PCR Research and Diagnostics Core Facility at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM). This includes RNA extraction, cDNA synthesis, Reference Gene Validation, and qPCR analysis. Relative telomere length (RTL) will be calculated by comparing the average telomere abundance across three samples cells with that of a reference gene (single copy number) for each sample. The resulting T/S ratio (telomere to single copy) is proportional to the average telomere length. If T/S = 1, then telomere length in the sample and the reference are the same. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Because telomeres show the fastest rate of shortening early in life, we predict that maternal separation will increase the rate of telomere shortening in kittens. We also predict that the telomeres of orphaned kittens will be shorter at both one week and eight weeks of age, compared to controls. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: This study will increase our understanding of early life adversity, a finding that can translate to other mammals. It will inform the practice of fostering neonatal kittens, and illuminate whether these kittens might be at higher risk than mother-reared kittens for health problems (which could be investigated in future studies). If significant telomere shortening occurs between collection periods, then future studies can take more frequent blood samples to determine what stages of early development are potentially most sensitive. If differences between groups are found, this will establish a protocol for several future research projects, such as testing whether these detrimental effects can be mitigated by environmental enrichment via activation of telomerase. Telomerase is an enzyme that appears to counteract some shortening of telomeres, and is activated by several external factors, including exercise. Thus, a logical follow up study would be developing and testing age-specific and appropriate enrichments that may activate telomerase and reduce telomere loss. Physical contact, whether human, mother, or siblings, is another possible source of telomerase activation in young kittens. Future studies also could quantify the effects of different sources of physical contact on telomere shortening. Finally, a positive finding would establish a need for longitudinal studies of the effects of early weaning on feline health and behavior and whether differences in early-life telomere lengths predict health and longevity of cats.

Common feline problem behaviors: Aggression in multi-cat households

Being able to understand and intervene in cases of cat-cat aggression in multi-cat households is important for all veterinarians and behavior counsellors dealing with feline behavior cases. Feline conflicts are common, perhaps not helped by many owners' assumption that this is the norm. Interventions can be complex in multi-cat households with large numbers of cats as there are more interactions to evaluate and monitor, and care needs to be taken not to negatively affect the other cats. There may be limitations due to the environment or the people involved and so behavior guidelines should always be tailored to the individual situation. This article reviews the main forms of aggression in multi-cat households and the appropriate behavioral interventions, considering both the typical scenarios and emotions/motivations most likely involved. It details essential environmental management for multi-cat homes, as well as an approach to friendly cat introductions. This article is aimed at veterinarians dealing with feline behavior cases as well as behavior counsellors, as both professionals are likely to experience cases of aggression in multi-cat households. The author draws on the published literature where available and, where there is a lack of research, on hypotheses derived from her own clinical behavior experience.

Common feline problem behaviours: Unacceptable indoor elimination

One of the reasons why cats enjoy such a high level of popularity as domestic pets is the fact that they are clean. When there is a breakdown in this fastidious behaviour and elimination occurs outside of the litter box or tray, the strain on the cat-owner bond and on human relationships within the household can be considerable. Indoor elimination behaviour is one of the most common reasons for cat owners to seek professional advice and there is a wide range of articles, book chapters and research papers that reference it. In many cases the topic of urination and defecation in unacceptable indoor locations is considered in combination with the deposition of urine or faeces as a marker, but this review focuses purely on problematic elimination. An accompanying article in this special issue discusses urine spraying. Indoor elimination problems necessitate a clinical approach combining knowledge from the fields of physical and emotional health and an understanding of normal feline behaviour. They also require comprehensive history-taking skills as well as effective communication skills and a degree of empathy for owners who are often finding their pet's behaviour very distressing. Early diagnosis of physical health disorders that are associated with indoor elimination is extremely important in terms of safeguarding feline welfare. As we become more aware of the interplay between physical and emotional health, the significance of identifying suboptimal social and physical environments in terms of optimising the welfare of domestic cats is also being recognised. The potential for indoor elimination problems to cause considerable human distress highlights the importance of the concepts of One Health and One Welfare.

Common feline problem behaviors: Urine spraying

Urine spraying (synonymous terms include urine marking or scent marking) is commonly described as urine deposited on vertical surfaces while the cat is in a standing position. With the increasing trend of keeping cats indoors in some countries and the potential resultant increase in frustration-related behaviors, urine spraying may occur in the home. Although also a normal feline behavior, it is usually not deemed acceptable when the cat targets household possessions. Urine spraying is a common behavioral complaint that practitioners receive from cat owners and has the potential to disrupt the human-cat bond. In fact, feline elimination issues are a frequent reason cited by owners when they relinquish their cats to shelters and rescue organizations. While the location of the deposited urine should be diagnostic, this is not always the case. Urine marking can occur on horizontal surfaces, thus complicating the diagnosis. Urine spraying by intact males and females is used to signal availability for mating but the behaviour can also be exhibited by neutered animals. Multiple factors including medical problems can trigger the onset and maintenance of urine spraying, and correct identification of these is necessary for treatment to be most successful. This review draws on information from multiple studies that have been published on the normal aspects of urine spraying in cats, the frequency as reported by owners, the relationship of urine spraying to intercat aggression and various treatment options including behavior modification, pheromone therapy and use of psychoactive medication.

Solving the Manufacturing Cell Design Problem through Binary Cat Swarm Optimization with Dynamic Mixture Ratios.

In this research, we present a Binary Cat Swarm Optimization for solving the Manufacturing Cell Design Problem (MCDP). This problem divides an industrial production plant into a certain number of cells. Each cell contains machines with similar types of processes or part families. The goal is to identify a cell organization in such a way that the transportation of the different parts between cells is minimized. The organization of these cells is performed through Cat Swarm Optimization, which is a recent swarm metaheuristic technique based on the behavior of cats. In that technique, cats have two modes of behavior: seeking mode and tracing mode, selected from a mixture ratio. For experimental purposes, a version of the Autonomous Search algorithm was developed with dynamic mixture ratios. The experimental results for both normal Binary Cat Swarm Optimization (BCSO) and Autonomous Search BCSO reach all global optimums, both for a set of 90 instances with known optima, and for a set of 35 new instances with 13 known optima.

Effects of music on behavior and physiological stress response of domestic cats in a veterinary clinic.

Our objective was to determine if feline-specific music played in a veterinary clinical setting would promote lower cat stress scores (CSSs), lower mean handling scale scores (HSs) and reduced neutrophil:lymphocyte ratios (NLRs) in cats during physical examinations. Cats were exposed to one of three auditory stimuli tests - silence, classical music and cat-specific music - during three physical examinations 2 weeks apart. CSSs were recorded at pre- and post-auditory tests and during the examination period. The HSs were recorded at the physical examination period. The physiological stress was assessed via NLRs. The pre-auditory test showed no difference in CSS between cats listening to silence, classical music and cat music. CSSs for post-auditory tests and examination periods were not significantly different between silence and classical music; however, CSSs were significantly decreased in cats listening to cat music vs silence and in cats listening to cat music vs classical music. HSs were not different in cats listening to silence vs classical music, but were significantly lower in cats listening to cat music vs silence and classical music. No difference was found in NLRs among all three auditory stimuli tests. Listening to cat-specific music prior to, and during, physical examination was associated with lower CSSs and lower HSs in cats, but had no effect on the physiological stress responses measured by NLRs. We conclude that cat-specific music may benefit cats by decreasing the stress levels and increasing the quality of care in veterinary clinical settings.

Owner personality and the wellbeing of their cats share parallels with the parent-child relationship.

Human personality may substantially affect the nature of care provided to dependants. This link has been well researched in parents and children, however, relatively little is known about this dynamic with regards to humans’ relationships with non-human animals. Owner interactions with companion animals may provide valuable insight into the wider phenomenon of familial interactions, as owners usually adopt the role of primary caregiver and potentially surrogate parent. This study, using cats as an exemplar, explored the relationship between owner personality and the lifestyles to which cats are exposed. In addition, it explored owner personality as it related to reported cat behaviour and wellbeing. Cat owners (n = 3331) responded to an online survey examining their personality and the health, behaviour and management of their cats. Owner personality was measured using the Big Five Inventory (BFI) to assess: Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Neuroticism and Openness. Owners also provided information concerning the physical health, breed type, management and behavioural styles of their cats. Generalised linear mixed models were used to identify relationships between owner personality and a range of factors that may have welfare implications for the wider companion animal population, and specifically, cats. Higher owner Neuroticism was associated with an increased likelihood of non-pedigree rather than pedigree cat ownership, a decreased likelihood of ad libitum access to the outdoors, cats being reported as having a ‘behavioural problem’, displaying more aggressive and anxious/fearful behavioural styles and more stress-related sickness behaviours, as well as having an ongoing medical condition and being overweight. Other owner personality traits were generally found to correlate more positively with various lifestyle, behaviour and welfare parameters. For example, higher owner Extroversion was associated with an increased likelihood that the cat would be provided ad libitum access to the outdoors; higher owner Agreeableness was associated with a higher level of owner reported satisfaction with their cat, and with a greater likelihood of owners reporting their cats as being of a normal weight. Finally higher owner Conscientiousness was associated with the cat displaying less anxious/fearful, aggressive, aloof/avoidant, but more gregarious behavioural styles. These findings demonstrate that the relationship between carer personality and the care received by a dependent, may extend beyond the human family to animal-owner relationships, with significant implications for the choice of management, behaviour and potentially the broader wellbeing of companion animals.

Fear stress enhanced xenograft pancreatic tumor growth through activating epithelial-mesenchymal transition

ObjectiveCancer patients often experience multiple emotional distresses, particularly the fear of death. However, there are rare studies to assess the direct effect of the fear of death on disease progression. MethodsXenograft pancreatic cancer animal models were established in nude mice. Fear stress was induced to tumor bearing mice by closely housing with a cat and depressive behaviors were measured using open field test, forced swimming test, and sucrose consumption test. Plasma adrenaline concentration was measured using ELISA. ResultsFear stress induced depression-like behaviors in tumor bearing mice which were accompanied with increases in tumor growth, plasma adrenaline levels as well as the protein expression of alpha 2 adrenergic receptor (α2 AR) and beta 2 adrenergic receptor (β2-AR) in tumor tissues. The β-adrenergic antagonist propranolol (Pro) treatment blocked the effect of stress on tumor growth in pancreatic cancer xenograft animal model, but had no effects on the levels of plasma adrenaline level, and α2 AR and β2-AR expression in tumor tissues. Moreover, fear stress increased Frizzled-1, Wnt1, vimentin, but decreased E-cadherin protein expression in tumor tissues, while Pro reversed the effects of fear stress on the expression of these proteins. ConclusionFear of death impacted the growth of PDAC tumor though activation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Treating pancreatic cancer patients with β-adrenergic antagonist implicates an effective strategy to treat cancer including PDAC.

Hunting behaviour in domestic cats: An exploratory study of risk and responsibility among cat owners

Abstract The potential impact of domestic cats on wildlife is the subject of growing international interest and concern. While feral cats are often the primary focus of research and debate, in many societies a substantial proportion of domestic cats are owned by private individuals. We present a typology that classifies domestic cats in relation to varying degrees of human control over their reproduction, movement, and provisioning. Understanding the perceptions and practices of cat owners will be key to identifying and mitigating any negative ecological effects of cat hunting behaviour. To investigate how cat owners perceive (a) their pets’ hunting behaviour, (b) their responsibilities for managing this, and (c) the mitigation strategies available, we conducted detailed interviews with a diverse sample of cat owners in the United Kingdom. We identified a spectrum of views on hunting behaviour, from owners who perceived hunting as positive (for pest control, or as healthy cat behaviour) to those who were deeply concerned about its consequences for wild animals, their populations, and welfare. However, hunting was widely understood as a normal, natural component of cat behaviour, and owners rarely perceived a strong individual responsibility for preventing or reducing it. Those who did wish to manage hunting perceived several barriers to this, including concern that they were unable to control behaviour effectively without compromising cat welfare, doubt about the efficacy and practicality of popular mitigation measures, and unfamiliarity with alternative options. We recommend that (a) initiatives directed at changing cat owners’ behaviour consider the multiple factors and competing priorities that inform their decision‐making (particularly cat health and welfare and practicality or cost of interventions); (b) researchers work collaboratively with cat owners and veterinary, cat welfare, and conservation organizations to identify effective solutions, and (c) some degree of accountability for managing problematic hunting behaviour should be promoted as a part of “responsible pet ownership” initiatives. A plain language summary is available for this article.

Epidemiology of domestic cat behavioral problems in the city of Porto Alegre/Brazil: a survey of small animal veterinary practitioners

ABSTRACT: The popularity of cats as a companion animal has been growing. Additionally, there is also an increase in the number of complaints regarding behavioral problems associated with the species. Behavioral problems interfere with the animal welfare and quality of people’s lives that are living with them, and are one of the main reasons for abandonment and euthanasia in some countries. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of behavioral problems among cats with the help of veterinary practitioners in the city of Porto Alegre/Brazil. This evaluation was performed through a questionnaire in veterinary clinics and hospitals of small animals, which was answered by veterinarians responsible for clinical care. The study showed that most veterinarians (92.0%) have been sought to assist with behavioral problems and that dogs were the most consulted species (72.0%). Regarding cats, scratching was the most common owners’ complaints (40.0%), followed by aggressiveness (39.0%), and inappropriate elimination of urine (38.0%). Aggression (73.8%) and scratching (56.9%) were the most frequent reasons that may lead to the abandonment or euthanasia of cats. Results of this research highlighted the importance of having a better understanding about the normal behavior of cats, and the fundamental role of the veterinarian in preventing behavioral problems and abandonment of these animals.

Determining priority welfare issues for cats in the United Kingdom using expert consensus

BackgroundCats are the most popular pets in the UK, yet relatively little research has been conducted into the welfare of cats living in a home environment. The purpose of this...

Effect of the Number of Mating Partners and Sperm Quality on Reproductive Success in the Domestic Cat (Felis catus)

Data on the reproductive success and reproductive behavior of the domestic cat, the most widespread representative of the family Felidae, are presented. The effects of the number of partners, mating order, and sperm quality on male and female reproductive success were assessed. The experiments showed that the fertility of female cats that mated with two partners was higher. Here, male reproductive success was less dependent on the attitude of females to the males, whereas the sperm quality (percentage of morphologically intact spermatozoa) and order of mating with the female had considerable effects on reproductive success. However, male sperm quality did not have a significant effect on the number of offspring if the mating pattern was monogamous.

Cat swarm optimization for solving the open shop scheduling problem

This paper aims to prove the efficiency of an adapted computationally intelligence-based behavior of cats called the cat swarm optimization algorithm, that solves the open shop scheduling problem, classified as NP-hard which its importance appears in several industrial and manufacturing applications. The cat swarm optimization algorithm was applied to solve some benchmark instances from the literature. The computational results, and the comparison of the relative percentage deviation of the proposed metaheuristic with other’s existing in the literature, show that the cat swarm optimization algorithm yields good results in reasonable execution time.