Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-wzw2p Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-16T14:59:12.202Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The effect of animal shelter sound on cat behaviour and welfare

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

BH Eagan ,
E Gordon  and
D Fraser
BH Eagan*
Affiliation:
Animal Welfare Program, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, 2357 Main Mall, Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
E Gordon
Affiliation:
British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 1245 East 7th Avenue, Vancouver BC V5T 1R1, Canada
D Fraser
Affiliation:
Animal Welfare Program, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, 2357 Main Mall, Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
*
* Contact for correspondence: Baileyhe@mail.ubc.ca
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

This study assessed how sound affected fear- and maintenance-related behaviour in singly housed cats (Felis silvestris catus) in an animal shelter. Two daily 30-min observation sessions (morning and evening) were made for 98 cats from admittance for ten days or until the cat was removed. Cat behaviour and presence of sound (classified by the source) were recorded by instantaneous and one-zero sampling with 15-s intervals. Each 30-min observation session was classified as ‘quiet’ or ‘noisy’ if the one-zero score for presence of sound was above or below the median of sessions at that time of day. To ensure that cats had at least two complete days of comparable observations, statistical analysis was restricted to the 70 cats (30 females, 40 males) present for two or more weekdays. Cats varied widely in the amount of fear and maintenance behaviour they performed. Males showed less fear and maintenance behaviour than females. Morning sessions consistently had much more sound than evenings, and cats showed more fear behaviour and less maintenance behaviour in the mornings. Cats showed more fear behaviour in noisy morning sessions than quiet ones, with no comparable difference in maintenance behaviour. Where sessions included a pronounced transition in sound, fear-related behaviour was more common after a transition from quiet to noisy and less common after a transition from noisy to quiet The results show that shelter cats vary greatly in their responses and suggest that sound in shelter environments can substantially affect their behaviour. Lowering sound levels in shelters may help improve cat welfare.

Keywords

animal welfarecatfearnoiseshelterstress
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 30 , Issue 4 , November 2021 , pp. 431 - 440
Copyright
© 2021 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

References

Armstrong, M, Avanizino, R, Burns, P, Fina, P, Goldstein, M, Lewis, B, Loftus, D, McCall, J, McHugh-Smith, J, McHugh, S, McKenney, N, Morrison, D, Nagy, J, Naumann, C, Rohde, R, Sayres, E, Snyder, J, Terpstra, K, Tiscornia, G and Belew Wheatley, M 2004 The Asilomar Accords. Pacific Grove, California, USA. https://shelteranimalscount.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/2004aaccords5_c97fa2dafd.pdfGoogle Scholar
Attard, E, Duncan, K, Firmage, T, Flemming, S, Mullaly, K, Pryor, P, Smrdelj, M, Cartwright, B and Rastogi, T 2013 Canadian Standards of Care in Animal Shelters: Supporting ASV Guidelines. Association of Shelter Veterinarians: Apex, NC, USAGoogle Scholar
Baker, DE 1998 Equipment decibel levels. Grounds Maintenance 33(3): 73Google Scholar
Baldwin, L, Schwartz, GE and Hopp, DH 2007 Are investiga-tors aware of environmental noise in animal facilities and that this noise may affect experimental data? Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science 46: 45–51Google Scholar
Boissy, A, Manteuffel, G, Jensen, MB, Moe, RO, Spruijt, B, Keeling, LJ, Winckler, C, Forkman, B, Dimitrov, I, Langbein, J, Bakken, M, Veissier, I and Aubert, A 2007 Assessment of pos-itive emotions in animals to improve their welfare. Physiology and Behavior 92: 375–397. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2007.02.003CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Broadley, HM, McCobb, EC and Slater, MR 2014 Effect of single-cat versus multi-cat home history on perceived behavioral stress in domestic cats (Felis silvestris catus) in an animal shelter. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 16: 137–143. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098612X13502972CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carlstead, K, Brown, JL and Strawn, W 1993 Behavioral and physiological correlates of stress in laboratory cats. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 38: 143–158. https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-1591(93)90062-TCrossRefGoogle Scholar
CCAC 1993 Guide to the Care and Use of Experimental Animals. Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC): Ottawa, CanadaGoogle Scholar
CDC 2019 Loud Noise Can Cause Hearing Loss. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Atlanta, USA. https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/hearing_loss/what_noises_cause_hearing_loss.htmlGoogle Scholar
Coppola, CL, Enns, RM and Grandin, T 2006 Noise in the ani-mal shelter environment: building design and the effects of daily noise exposure. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 9: 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327604jaws0901_1CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Molina, AF and Hunsperger, RW 1959 Central represen-tation of affective reactions in forebrain and brain stem: eletrical stimulation of amygdala, stria terminalis, and adjacent structures. Journal of Physiology 145: 251–265. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.1959.sp006140Google Scholar
Dinnage, JD, Scarlett, JM and Richards, JR 2009 Descriptive epidemiology of feline upper respiratory tract disease in an animal shelter. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 11: 816–825. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfms.2009.03.001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dybdall, K, Strasser, R and Katz, T 2007 Behavioral differences between owner surrender and stray domestic cats after entering an animal shelter. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 104: 85–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2006.05.002CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fantuzzi, JM, Miller, KA and Weiss, E 2010 Factors relevant to adoption of cats in an animal shelter. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 13: 174–179. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888700903583467CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fraser, D and Duncan, IJH 1998 ‘Pleasures’, ‘pains’ and animal wel-fare: toward a natural history of affect. Animal Welfare 7: 383–396Google Scholar
Fullagar, B, Boysen, SR, Toy, M, Makwana, C and Pang, DSJ 2015 Sound pressure levels in 2 veterinary intensive care units. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 29: 1013–1021. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.13574CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gordon, E 2016 Asilomar Accords and Adoptability Guidelines. The British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: Vancouver, BC, CanadaGoogle Scholar
Gourkow, N and Fraser, D 2006 The effect of housing and han-dling practices on the welfare, behaviour and selection of domes-tic cats (Felis silvestris catus) by adopters in an animal shelter. Animal Welfare 15: 371–377Google Scholar
Gourkow, N, Hamon, SC and Phillips, CJC 2014a Effect of gentle stroking and vocalization on behaviour, mucosal immunity and upper respiratory disease in anxious shelter cats. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 117: 266–275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pre-vetmed.2014.06.005CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gourkow, N, LaVoy, A, Dean, GA and Phillips, CJC 2014b Associations of behaviour with secretory immunoglobulin A and cortisol in domestic cats during their first week in an animal shel-ter. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 150: 55–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2013.11.006CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heffner, HE and Heffner, RS 2007 Hearing ranges of laborato-ry animals. Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science 46: 20–22Google Scholar
Hirsch, E 2011 Feline stress: Methodological Considerations for Non-Invasive Assessment of Cats Housed in Groups and Singly. Doctoral Thesis, Acta Universitatis Agriculturae Sueciae, Skara, SwedenGoogle Scholar
Kessler, MR and Turner, DC 1997 Stress and adaptation of cats (Felis silvestris catus) housed singly, in pairs and in groups in boarding catteries. Animal Welfare 6: 243–254Google Scholar
Kessler, MR and Turner, DC 1999 Socialization and stress in cats (Felis silvestris catus) housed singly and in groups in animal shelters. Animal Welfare 8: 15–26Google Scholar
Kry, K and Casey, R 2007 The effect of hiding enrichment on stress levels and behaviour of domestic cats (Felis silvestris catus) in a shelter setting and the implications for adoption potential. Animal Welfar e 16: 375-383Google Scholar
Martin, P and Bateson, P 2007 Measuring Behaviour: An Introductory Guide. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511810893CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McCobb, EC, Patronek, GJ, Marder, A, Dinnage, JD and Stone, MS 2005 Assessment of stress levels among cats in four animal shelters. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 226: 548–555. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.2005.226.548CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McCune, S 1994 Caged cats: avoiding problems and providing solutions. Newsletter of the Companion Animal Behaviour Therapy Study Group 7: 33–40Google Scholar
Mellor, D and Beausoleil, N 2015 Extending the ‘Five Domains’ model for animal welfare assessment to incorperate positive wel-fare states. Animal Welfare 24: 241–253. https://doi.org/10.7120/09627286.24.3.241CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moody, CM, Picketts, VA, Mason, GJ, Dewey, CE and Niel, L 2018 Can you handle it? Validating negative responses to restraint in cats. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 204: 94–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2018.04.012CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morgan, KN and Tromborg, CT 2007 Sources of stress in cap-tivity. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 102: 262–302. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2006.05.032CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murphy, E and King, EA 2016 Testing the accuracy of smart-phones and sound level meter applications for measuring environ-mental noise. Applied Acoustics 106: 16–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apacoust.2015.12.012CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pittari, J, Rodan, I, Beekman, G, Gunn-Moore, D, Polzin, D, Taboada, J, Tuzio, H and Zoran, D 2009 Senior care guidelines: special article. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 11: 763–778. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfms.2009.07.011CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rochlitz, I, Podberscek, AL and Broom, DM 1998 Welfare of cats in a quarantine cattery. Veterinary Record 143: 35–39. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.143.2.35CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sales, GD, Milligan, SR and Khirnykh, K 1999 Sources of sound in the laboratory animal environment: A survey of the sounds pro-duced by procedures and equipment. Animal Welfare 8: 97–115Google Scholar
Scheifele, P, Martin, D, Clark, JG, Kemper, D and Wells, J 2012 Effect of kennel noise on hearing in dogs. Journal of American Veterinary Research 73: 482–489. https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.73.4.482CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Spreng, M 2000 Possible health effects of noise induced cortisol increase. Noise & Health 2: 59–64Google ScholarPubMed
Stanton, LA, Sullivan, MS and Fazio, JM 2015 A standardized ethogram for the felidae: A tool for behavioral researchers. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 173: 3–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2015.04.001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stella, J and Croney, C 2019 Coping styles in the domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus) and implications for cat welfare. Animals 9(6): 370. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9060370CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stella, J, Croney, C and Buffington, T 2014 Environmental fac-tors that affect the behavior and welfare of domestic cats (Felis sil-vestris catus) housed in cages. Applied Animal Behaviour Scienc e 160: 94-105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2014.08.006CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stella, JL and Croney, CC 2016 Environmental aspects of domestic cat care and management: implications for cat welfare. The Scientific World Journal 2016: 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/6296315Google ScholarPubMed
Stella, JL, Croney, CC and Buffington, CT 2017 Behavior and welfare of domestic cats housed in cages larger than U.S. norm. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Scien ce 20: 296-312. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888705.2017.1317252CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tsyrlin, VA, Bravkov, MF and Bershadshy, BG 1983 Possible mechanisms underlying the pressure responses evoked in con-scious cats by emotional stress. European Journal of Physiology 388: 81–87. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00581052CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ursin, H and Kaada, BR 1960 Functional localization within the amygdaloid complex in the cat. Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology 12: 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/0013-4694(60)90058-4CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vinke, CM, Godijn, LM and van der Leij, WJR 2014 Will a hiding box provide stress reduction for shelter cats? Applied Animal Behaviour Science 160: 86–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2014.09.002CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wagner, D, Hurley, K and Stavisky, J 2018a 1. Shelter housing for cats: Principles of design for health, welfare and rehoming. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surger y 20: 635-642. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098612X18781388CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wagner, D, Hurley, K and Stavisky, J 2018b 2. Shelter housing for cats: Practical aspects of design and construction, and adaptation of existing accommodation. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 20: 643–652. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098612X18781390Google Scholar
Wagner, DC, Kass, PH and Hurley, KF 2018c Cage size, move-ment in and out of housing during daily care, and other environ-mental and population health risk factors for feline upper respira-tory disease in nine North American animal shelters: PLoS One 13(1): e0190140. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0190140CrossRefGoogle Scholar