Research into cat behavior has gained more attention in recent years. As one of the world's most popular companion animals, work in this field has potential to have wide-reaching benefits. Cats living in shelters are posed with distinct welfare concerns. Shelter cat welfare can be increased through ...

The influence of density and floor area on stress and the adaptation process of cats in animal shelters and boarding catteries was investigated. 63 rescued cats were observed on 113 days in a shelter at group densities of 0.3-0.9 animals/m². In addition, 49 rescued cats were observed during their...

Assessing how cats cope with the housing and husbandry at shelters is an important part of maintaining good animal welfare. There are non-invasive methods to assess how cats cope with their environment. The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability of the behaviours used in an extended ...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of daily gabapentin on behavior modification progression and signs of stress in fearful shelter cats from hoarding environments. ANIMALS: 37 cats (32 met inclusion criteria). PROCEDURES: Healthy fearful cats were entered into group (1) gabapentin or (2) placebo...

The domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus) originates from the solitary living African wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica). However, through domestication, the domestic cat has become more social towards conspecifics and group housing of cats is common, for example in cat shelters in some countries....

As adult cats can often be difficult to re-home, they may spend long periods in rescue shelters where barren housing and inconsistent handling can reduce their welfare. In this study, 165 adult cats in an animal shelter in Vancouver, Canada, were assigned to four treatments. The Basic Single...

Surveillance of cat shelters by official veterinarians in Austria is based on legal requirements and does not directly assess cat welfare. The aim of this study was to develop animal-based parameters that are feasible to measure in a surveillance setting, stable over time, and reproducible by...

In current research guidelines, much focus is placed on ethical management of animals and the application of principles of reduction, refinement and replacement. Of these refinements through environmental enrichment is an important aspect when housing primate to prevent behavioural problems. In...

The suitability of rehoming sheltered cats hinges on their sociality towards humans. However, the socialisation history of these cats is often unknown. While a structured and validated assessment is available, it requires considerable time. Here we pilot a criterion-based assessment as a quicker...

One aspect of welfare that is measured in protocols used for the assessment of farm animal welfare is the human-animal relationship. The aim of the present study was to develop a 'human approach test' to measure the human-animal relationship in shelter cats and to investigate aspects of...