Animals (Dec 2020)

Beloved Whiskers: Management Type, Care Practices and Connections to Welfare in Domestic Cats

  • Daiana de Souza Machado,
  • Luana da Silva Gonçalves,
  • Rogério Ribeiro Vicentini,
  • Maria Camila Ceballos,
  • Aline Cristina Sant’Anna

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10122308
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 12
p. 2308

Abstract

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The quality of cat care practices depends in part on the type of management applied, which either positively or negatively impacts cat welfare. This study investigated whether the type of cat management (indoor vs. outdoor) was related to other cat care practices adopted by cat owners, associated with the quality of human-cat relationships and cat welfare. An online survey was distributed via social networks. Descriptive statistics, categorical Principal Component Analysis, Fisher’s Exact test and Chi-square test in contingency table were applied. A total of 16,302 cat owners returned the survey. Most Brazilian owners reported indoor management of their cats; this was related to owners living in apartments, more frequent use of cat care practices, and more interactions with their pets. Outdoor management was related to cats living in houses or farms, sleeping outdoors or around the neighborhood, and owners had fewer interaction with their pets. In conclusion, owners practicing indoor management seemed to be closer to their cats than owners reporting outdoor management. However, obesity and owner-reported behavioral problems were associated with indoor management.

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