Patterns of pet cat behaviour at feeding occasions

The behaviour of 36 domestic house cats was observed immediately before and after they were fed by their owners. Pre-meal sequences consisted of behaviour patterns directed at the owner, including vocalisations, and patterns which are thought to be signals in cat-cat interactions. After the meal, se...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied animal behaviour science 1996-04, Vol.47 (1-2), p.61-74
Main Authors: Bradshaw, John W.S., Cook, Sarah E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behaviour
Cat
Human-animal interactions
Personality
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The behaviour of 36 domestic house cats was observed immediately before and after they were fed by their owners. Pre-meal sequences consisted of behaviour patterns directed at the owner, including vocalisations, and patterns which are thought to be signals in cat-cat interactions. After the meal, seven cats continued to direct behaviour towards their owners, but the majority devoted much of their time to grooming. There were considerable differences between the behavioural profiles of individual cats both pre- and post-meal, which appeared to have their origins in the ‘behavioural styles’ proposed by other authors. Attempts to relate these profiles to characteristics of the cat, such as age and sex, and characteristics of the owner, were unsuccessful, and it is suggested that they may have their origins in developmental and/or inherited factors.
ISSN:0168-1591
1872-9045
DOI:10.1016/0168-1591(95)01011-4