Laser Light Pointers for Use in Companion Cat Play: Association with Guardian-Reported Abnormal Repetitive Behaviors

Understanding the level of animal welfare and associated factors among cat owners in Banyuwangi, Indonesia

Background and Aim

The "Five Freedoms" concept has shaped the development and implementation of animal welfare assessments. This study aimed to analyze the determinants that impact the understanding of animal welfare among individuals who own cats in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia.

Materials and Methods

Questionnaires and interviews were used in this study to gather data from cat owners. One hundred cat owners in Banyuwangi Regency took part in the study. The classification considered factors such as gender, age, education level, occupation, income, and number of cats. The questionnaire passed both validity and reliability tests and was thus deemed suitable for data measurement. The Chi-square test was employed to investigate relationships within the dataset.

Results

A statistically significant correlation (p < 0.05) was established between cat owners' level of education, occupation, monthly household income, and their grasp of animal welfare, with the number of cats in their household being a determinant factor. Some cat owners in Banyuwangi undervalue veterinarians' role in treating and preventing feline health issues. The cat owners' understanding of animal welfare was unaffected by their age or gender. 59% of the cat owners had a low understanding level, 22% had a moderate understanding level, and 19% had a high understanding level.

Conclusion

In Banyuwangi Regency, 59% of cat owners lack understanding of animal welfare concerns. An owner's educational background, job, income, and whether they own a cat impact their comprehension of animal welfare principles. Limited awareness of animal welfare and veterinarians' roles exists in Indonesia. It is crucial to educate government officials, veterinarians, and regional leaders about animal welfare for the sake of sustainability. A complete understanding of this topic demands rigorous research, comprehensive studies, and reproducibility. Equally important is effective publicity for the cat population.

Associations between Laser Light Pointer Play and Repetitive Behaviors in Companion Cats: Does Participant Recruitment Method Matter?

One common form of play between companion cat guardians and cats involves the use of laser light pointers (LLPs). Although viewed by many as an enjoyable shared interaction, experts have suggested that it may increase the risk of compulsive behaviors. Our earlier study recruited participants through social media to examine the relationship between LLPs and potential abnormal repetitive behaviors (pARBs). Because of possible biases in this form of recruitment, this study was conducted utilizing Amazon Mechanical Turk. A total of 468 responses (54.5% female, 44.0% male, 1.5% nonbinary) were analyzed. Significant associations between the frequency of LLPs and the occurrence of spins or tail chases, chasing lights or shadows, staring "obsessively" at lights or reflections, and fixating on a specific toy were found. Additional associations for these pARBs included declaw status, cat age, and number of cats in the household. Despite differences in recruitment method, the primary conclusions of the two studies were the same: guardians frequently using LLPs with their cats reported significantly more pARBs. These results suggest that LLPs may be associated with compulsive behaviors in cats.

Skin Disease and Behavior Changes in the Cat

The health of the skin and coat of a cat is connected to the behavioral health of the animal. Stressed animals can cause lesions to their skin and coat such as alopecia, ulcers, and self-mutilation. On the other hand, localized or systemic health problems can cause stress, or pain, and therefore can increase overgrooming and poor skin health. When treating overgrooming and related skin lesions, all the physical and behavioral causes must be addressed through a multimodal approach.

Cats just want to have fun: Associations between play and welfare in domestic cats

Play is often considered an indicator and promotor of animal welfare and may facilitate closer cat-human relationships. However, few studies have empirically investigated these associations. The current study aimed to investigate play-related factors associated with four welfare outcome measures in cats (Felis catus) including: cat quality of life; cat-guardian relationship quality; problem behaviour prevalence; and behavioural changes. An online survey was developed using demographic information, questions related to play and resources, free text sections and the following validated measures: cat quality of life (QOL), the cat owner relationship scale, and the adult playfulness trait scale. Responses were completed by 1,591 cat guardians from 55 countries. Higher cat playfulness scores and a greater number of games played were significantly associated with higher cat QOL scores while longer amounts of daily play, greater number of games, both cat and guardian initiating play and higher guardian playfulness scores were all significantly associated with higher cat-guardian relationship scores. Exclusively indoor housing was significantly associated with both higher cat QOL and higher cat-guardian relationships scores compared to cats with outdoor access. Behavioural changes associated with distress in cats were reported when play was absent. Play may be an important factor in assessing and maintaining cat welfare. Further research into the mechanisms of how play impacts welfare and cat-guardian relationships is needed.

Companion Cats Show No Effect of Trial-and-Error Learning Compared to Dogs in a Transparent-Obstacle Detour Task

We tested companion cats and dogs in similar indoor conditions using identical procedures in the classic detour task around a V-shaped transparent wire-mesh fence. Besides the control group, we used two types of laser light-pointing demonstration (moving around the fence, or pointing straight at the reward). We found that dogs reached the food reward faster than cats; across consecutive trials, only the dogs showed improvement in their speed and dogs continued to use the same side for detouring after a preceding successful attempt, while cats chose the side for detouring irrespective of their previous successful trials. In addition, 'demonstrating' a detour with the laser did not influence the speed or direction of the detour of the subjects; and dogs looked back to their owner more frequently than the cats did. We discuss the possibility that for dogs, detouring along a transparent obstacle represents a more problematic task than for cats; therefore, dogs strongly rely on their previous experiences. This is the first time that cats were successfully tested in this detour paradigm in direct comparison with dogs. The results are relevant from the aspect of testing cognitive performance in companion cats, which are known to be notoriously reluctant to engage with novel experimental situations.

Play and welfare in domestic cats: Current knowledge and future directions

Play and welfare have long been linked within animal research literature, with play considered as both a potential indicator and promoter of welfare. An indicator due to observations that play is exhibited most frequently in times when an animal's fitness is not under threat and when immediate needs such as food, water and adequate space are met. And a promoter, because of observations that animals who play more also have better welfare outcomes. However, limited research has been undertaken to investigate this link, especially in companion animals. The domestic cat ( Felis catus) is one of the most popular companion animals in the world, yet little is known about the impact of play behaviour on cat welfare. We review the current literature on play and welfare in cats. This includes examining the role of cat play in mitigating negative welfare outcomes, such as reducing problem behaviours, one of the leading reasons for guardian dissatisfaction and cat relinquishment to shelters. Play is also discussed as a potential tool to provide environmental enrichment and to improve cat-human relationships. Future areas for research are suggested. We find that further research is needed that uses a multifaceted approach to assess how quantity, type and quality of play impact subsequent cat behaviour and welfare. Future research could also assess cat play needs and preferences as well as investigate the role of play in mitigating threats to cat welfare such as reducing problem behaviour and improving human-cat relationships. If play is an indicator and promoter of welfare, studies into the impact of play may offer an accessible approach for monitoring and improving domestic cat welfare.

Gills Just Want to Have Fun: Can Fish Play Games, Just like Us?

Simple Summary

A pending question in animal biology is whether fish are capable of complex behaviors, such as play. We investigated this by shining laser pointers of various colors into home fish tank aquariums. We tested 66 different species and found that over 80% of fish showed an inquisitive response to the moving light stimuli, with the greatest interest in red laser spots. We review the literature on fish play and discuss whether the fish responses we observed can be considered play.

Abstract

It is common to observe play in dogs, cats, and birds, but have we been ignoring play in one of the most common house pets of all… fish? Aquarium fish are often used as meditative decoration in family households, but it could be that fish have similarly diverse behavioral repertoires as mammals and birds. To examine this theory, we conducted field tests at local pet stores where a range of aquarium fish species was tested for responsiveness to laser pointer stimuli. Out of 66 species of fish tested, over 80% showed a tendency to be interested in the moving laser spots, particularly red ones. Whether this behavior constitutes play is an active topic of investigation that we examine in this work.