Flashcards
Cats
Cards in this deck (18)
- 1Domestication of Cats- Two populations developed, on the savannah and near humans where there was increased availability and density of rodents
- We selected for the tameness and most social individuals
- Little control of reproductive activity - 2Explain the Predatory Behaviour is Domestic Cats- Differs to African wild cat, as it is not linked to satiety, cats feel the need to hunt even if they have eaten
- 3Explain the Home Range of the Cat- Essential for survival
- Has Core Area, where is will toilet, groom and feel comfortable. Can be a room in a house, or garden or contain several gardens
- Hunting area
- These areas may be split by 'passageways' between - 4Explain the Sight Sensory Perception of Cats- have excellent light gathering power, for predation in poor light (have more rod cells)
- Excellent movement detection
- Slow focus, can't focus up close or ~6m away
- Poor colour vision, have three cones types (dogs have 2, can't see red) but not in the same concentration as humans - 5Explain the Smell Sensory Perception of Cats- Vomeronasal organ (a.k.a. Jacobsons organ) provides additional infromation from scent, detects pheromones in air
- Important for communication and orientation
- Has scent glands all over the body - 6States the Three Groups of Cat pheromones- Urine and scratching associated
- Anal gland and paw sweat gland secretions for 'Alarm' marks
- Facial and Flank Pheromones - 7Explain how Facial Pheromones are Used in Cats- F1- F5
- used in core area of territory or where the cat was relaxed
- Thought to be 'positive' associated hormones
F2: sexual displays
F3: identifies known and unknown
F4: marking members of same social group - 8Explain the commercial production of F3 and F4Feliway: F3, can end up making the cat more tense as it no longer can identify what it knows and what makes it scared
Felifriend: F4, used to put on hands to make cat think that person is friend - 9Explain when Urine Spraying is Used- sexual signal
- Allows maintenance of distance between cats
- May be associated with negative emotional state
Might be seen on windowsills, where the cat see other cats or where other cats have jump onto it - 10Explain Social Behaviour in Cats- number of cats mirrors food availability,
- groups are usually related individuals, but it is important that cats choose to be in same group - 11Explain what Behaviours Cats of the Same Group will Display- Allorubbing
- Allogrooming
- Rubbing of bodies to allow transfer of scent
- rarely aggressive behaviour
- Choosing to sleep touching - 12Explain Why Cats have Problems Solving Conflicts- there are no 'dominance hierarchies' or no fixed relationships between individuals
- have a limited ability to show complex visual signals
- therefore limited appeasement signals
leading to difficulty resolving conflicts without aggressive behaviour - 13Explain why Conflicts may occur in Domestic Situations- cats from neighbouring houses
- cats in multi-cat households, in this case there may be multiple cat social groups where conflict arises due to artificially created competition for resources (food, water, litter trays, owner attention) - 14State Behaviour Seen if Cats Do Not Get On/ are not part of same social group- Presentation of aggression
- Avoidance behaviour (e.g. one cat stay upstairs)
- Inappropriate elimination (interstitial cystitis)
- Urine spraying (GI disease)
- Over-grooming (Hyperaesthesia) - 15State Some Indicators which do not Necessarily mean Cats are in Same Social Group- Sleeping in the same location (e.g. by the radiator) but not touching
- Sitting on/ either side of owner (again not touching)
- Eating together: although it is a good way to introduce new cats as eating together is very social - 16State when the Sensitive Periods for Learning Are in Dogs and CatsIdentified to be related to neurological development:
Pre-natal effects
'Socialisation period'
Juvenile period
May be others such as Sexual Maturity - 17Explain the Pre-Natal Effects on LearningLevels of maternal hormones influence development of foetus
Such as in the development of HPA axis:
- Cortisol levels in mother influence the reactivity of HPA axis in foetus
Allows for Adaptive, more reactive individual born in periods of stressful environment, good for wild dogs but can lead to problems in domestic animals as a stressed mum causes reactive puppies - 18When Does the Socialisation Period Occur in Cats- 2- 7 weeks of age
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- Animal Management 2 (Species Focus) Flashcards on Cats, created by Rebecca Hitchman on 23/01/2017.
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- Rebecca Hitchman
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