-
The Behavioural Effects of Innovative Litter Developed to Attract Cats
| Contributor(s):: Jennifer Frayne, Sarah MacDonald Murray, Candace Croney, Elizabeth Flickinger, Michelle Edwards, Anna Kate Shoveller
Urination and/or defecation outside a designated location has been reported as the most common behavioural reason for surrendering a cat and comprises approximately 30% of cat intakes to shelters. The objective of this study was to determine whether cats would increase in-box elimination when...
-
Direct perception of animal mind
| Contributor(s):: Paul Morris
Kujala’s (2017) target article is ostensibly focused on how everyday folk (fail to) make sense of canine emotions. However, the theories outlined in the article apply to making sense of all aspects of the mentality of both human and non-human animals. The target article neglects the...
-
An Evaluation of Systematic Versus Strategically-Placed Camera Traps for Monitoring Feral Cats in New Zealand
| Contributor(s):: Margaret Nichols, James Ross, Alistair S. Glen, Adrian M. Paterson
We deploy camera traps to monitor feral cat (Felis catus) populations at two pastoral sites in Hawke’s Bay, North Island, New Zealand. At Site 1, cameras are deployed at pre-determined GPS points on a 500-m grid, and at Site 2, cameras are strategically deployed with a bias towards forest...
-
Equine Assisted Couples Therapy: An Exploratory Study
| Contributor(s):: Taylor Marie Ham
Equine assisted psychotherapy (EAP) is an emerging experiential methodology that has recently gained recognition as a method for addressing a range of presenting problems for a wide variety of client populations. Couples therapy is one area that the practice of equine assisted psychotherapy...
-
Reply to Crawford et al.: Why Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) Is an Ethical Solution for Stray Cat Management
| Contributor(s):: Peter J. Wolf, Jacquie Rand, Helen Swarbrick, Daniel D. Spehar, Jade Norris
The recently published article, ‘A Case of Letting the Cat out of the Bag—Why Trap-Neuter-Return Is Not an Ethical Solution for Stray Cat (Felis catus) Management,’ by Crawford et al. warrants rebuttal. The case presented in the paper, opposing the initiation of TNR trials in...
-
The role of cat eye narrowing movements in cat–human communication
| Contributor(s):: Tasmin Humphrey, Leanne Proops, Jemma Forman, Rebecca Spooner, Karen McComb
Domestic animals are sensitive to human cues that facilitate inter-specific communication, including cues to emotional state. The eyes are important in signalling emotions, with the act of narrowing the eyes appearing to be associated with positive emotional communication in a range of species....
-
The Prevalence of Blood Groups in Domestic Cats in the Saskatoon and Calgary Areas of Saskatchewan and Alberta, Canada
| Contributor(s):: Fergal M. McDermott, Stephanie Maloney, Chantal McMillan, Elisabeth Snead
The purpose of this study was to evaluate blood types of domestic cats in two cities in Western Canada (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and Calgary, Alberta), as well as to determine the risk of mismatched transfusion and neonatal isoerythrolysis. Several cat studies around the world have shown...
-
Olfactory Generalization in Detector Dogs
| Contributor(s):: Ariella Y. Moser, Lewis Bizo, Wendy Y. Brown
Generalizing to target odor variations while retaining specificity against non-targets is crucial to the success of detector dogs under working conditions. As such, the importance of generalization should be considered in the formulation of effective training strategies. Research investigating...
-
Assessment of Dog Owner Concern Regarding Peri-operative Nausea and Vomiting and Willingness to Pay for Anti-emetic Treatment
| Contributor(s):: Bonnie L. Hay Kraus, Callie Cazlan
Objective: The objective of this study was to assess dog owners’ concern regarding peri-operative nausea and vomiting, and their willingness to pay for treatment. Design: Descriptive survey. Sample: A survey was administered to 104 dog owning clients with non-emergent surgical (52) or...
-
BAS Pack of Dogs
BAS Pack of Dogs are the Brighton Area Schools Social Emotional Learning Dogs. Social/Emotional Dogs can assist teachers working with students who feel angry, are being bullied, bully others, or have other behavior problems. They can help students who feel anxious, sad, or upset at school....
-
Perceptions of Responsible Cat Ownership Behaviors among a Convenience Sample of Australians
| Contributor(s):: Alicia Elliott, Tiffani J. Howell, Emily M. McLeod, Pauleen C. Bennett
Responsible cat ownership is important for keeping pet cats and wildlife safe. Much research investigating levels of compliance with and attitudes towards responsible cat ownership practices has focused on cat owners. Non-owner attitudes are relevant because their opinions may encourage...
-
Dogs fail to reciprocate the receipt of food from a human in a food-giving task
| Contributor(s):: Jim McGetrick, Lisa Poncet, Marietta Amann, Johannes Schullern- Schrattenhofen, Leona Fux, Mayte Martinez, Friederike Range
Domestic dogs have been shown to reciprocate help received from conspecifics in food-giving tasks. However, it is not yet known whether dogs also reciprocate help received from humans. Here, we investigated whether dogs reciprocate the receipt of food from humans. In an experience phase,...
-
A Survey of Veterinarian Attitudes Toward Prepubertal Desexing of Dogs and Cats in the Australian Capital Territory
| Contributor(s):: Bronwyn Orr, Bidda Jones
Prepubertal desexing (neutering) has been a legal requirement for all cats and dogs in the Australian Capital Territory since 2001. All cats have to be desexed by 3 months of age, and all dogs are required to be desexed by 6 months of age. The role of veterinary attitudes and behaviors in the...
-
Owner and Cat-Related Risk Factors for Feline Overweight or Obesity
| Contributor(s):: Meredith Wall, Nick John Cave, Emilie Vallee
Feline obesity is a highly prevalent disease that poses an urgent and serious challenge. Attempted treatment by weight reduction is often unsuccessful; a new preventative approach that focuses on the role of the owner may be helpful. This study used data collected from an international survey...
-
Clinical and Immunological Response in Dogs Naturally Infected by L. infantum Treated with a Nutritional Supplement
| Contributor(s):: Pietro Lombardi, Anna Teresa Palatucci, Angela Giovazzino, Vincenzo Mastellone, Giuseppina Ruggiero, Valentina Rubino, Nadia Musco, Rosalia Crupi, Monica Isabella Cutrignelli, Domenico Britti, Giuseppe Vassalotti, Giuseppe Terrazzano, Laura Cortese
The use of nutraceuticals as immunomodulators in the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis has generated interest in the current approaches to treat the disease. In this clinical and immunological study, we investigated whether the administration of a nutritional supplement mediates the...
-
Roxy Therapy Dogs
Roxy™ Therapy Dogs is an all-volunteer, 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Our programs provide an irreplaceable and dependable support system for children in the Central Bucks County, Pennsylvania community. Our trained and certified therapy dogs deliver self-esteem, relief from anxiety...
-
Non-invasive Assessment of Fecal Stress Biomarkers in Hunting Dogs During Exercise and at Rest
| Contributor(s):: Augusta Zannoni, Marco Pietra, Alba Gaspardo, Pier Attilio Accorsi, Monica Barone, Silvia Turroni, Luca Laghi, Chenglin Zhu, Patrizia Brigidi, Monica Forni
Intense exercise causes to organisms to have oxidative stress and inflammation at the gastrointestinal (GI) level. The reduction in intestinal blood flow and the exercise-linked thermal damage to the intestinal mucosa can cause intestinal barrier disruption, followed by an inflammatory...
-
Changes of Oxytocin and Serotonin Values in Dialysis Patients after Animal Assisted Activities (AAAs) with a Dog—A Preliminary Study
| Contributor(s):: Lucia Francesca Menna, Antonio Santaniello, Alessia Amato, Giuseppe Ceparano, Annamaria Di Maggio, Mario Sansone, Pietro Formisano, Ilaria Cimmino, Giuseppe Perruolo, Alessandro Fioretti
Our study aimed to measure the levels of serotonin and oxytocin in patients affected by end-stage renal disease (ESRD), undergoing dialysis and participating in a program of animal-assisted activities (AAAs) with a dog. Ten patients with comparable levels of ESRD were enrolled. A blood sample...
-
Diagnosis of Feline Food Sensitivity and Intolerance Using Saliva: 1000 Cases
| Contributor(s):: W. Jean Dodds
This prospective study assessed the efficacy of a novel saliva-based immunoassay of IgA- and IgM-antibodies in predicting feline food sensitivities and intolerances. Clinical samples were obtained from 1000 cats proven or suspected to have food intolerances. Most were of domestic shorthair...
-
Communicating canine and human emotions
| Contributor(s):: Juliane Bräuer, Karine Silva, Stefan R. Schweinberger
Kujala (2017) reviews a topic of major relevance for the understanding of the special dog-human relationship: canine emotions (as seen through human social cognition). This commentary draws attention to the communication of emotions within such a particular social context. It highlights...
