Risk Behaviours Exhibited By Free-Roaming Cats In A US Town
This study observed the behavior of free-roaming cats in the suburbs of a small city in the U.S. state of Georgia. Guardians volunteered their cat companions to wear video cameras suspended from a collar during time spent outdoors. The frequency of pre-defined risk behaviors was measured and analyzed for patterns. The authors conclude that many cats engaged in risky behaviors, and that youth, maleness (all participants were sterilized), and length of periods spent outdoors are correlated with a higher rate of such behaviors. They recommend that images captured from this experiment — as provided on their website — be used to more effectively educate guardians on outdoor risks. They also call for research on risks to indoor-only cats, and an examination of ways to improve and enrich the indoor environment.
[Abstract excerpted from original source.]
“Free-roaming cats may experience numerous hazardous encounters in the outdoor environment, including: vehicular accidents, aggression from other animals and exposure to infectious disease. This research quantitatively examined the outdoor activities of 55 owned cats by monitoring pets outfitted with ‘KittyCam’ video cameras. KittyCams are a type of Crittercam, designed by National Geographic to allow recording of a cat-eye view without disrupting behaviour. We investigated the activities of free-roaming cats in suburban Athens-Clarke County, Georgia, during all four seasons. Research objectives included documenting the type and regularity of risk behaviours exhibited by free-roaming cats and identifying characteristics of pet cats (eg, age, sex, roaming habitat) which predict risky behaviour in the outdoors. The most common risk behaviours exhibited by suburban free-roaming cats included crossing roads (45 per cent of our sample), encountering strange cats (25 per cent), eating and drinking substances away from home (25 per cent), exploring storm drain systems (20 per cent), and entering crawlspaces of houses (20 per cent). Male cats were more likely to engage in risk behaviours than female cats, and older cats engaged in fewer risk behaviours than younger individuals. We hope this information can be used to encourage the public to keep cats indoors more often (with consideration for their indoor quality of life) or supervise them while outdoors.”
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