Caregiver perceptions of what indoor cats do "for fun".
In a survey conducted to determine enrichment activities for indoor cats in the caregivers' homes, 304 indoor-cat caregivers answered structured interviews about their cats' use of windows and other "fun activities." The survey asked caregivers about durations of window use, what cats watched through the windows, and in what other fun activities cats freely participated. The results indicate that, of 577 cats, 84.3% looked out windows a total of 5 hr or less a day, that cats observed 14 different categories of outdoor stimuli, and that cats participated in 17 categories of "other" fun activities. These results suggest that cats use windows and sunlight much less often than the welfare community may expect but that caregivers (owners), when possible, should consider providing access to these.
Shyan-Norwalt
Melissa R
MR
The Iams Company, Lewisburg, Ohio 45338, USA. shyannorwalt.mm@pg.com
D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000379:methods*; D000827:Animal Welfare; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D002415:Cats / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D004777:Environment; D006799:Housing, Animal; D006801:Humans; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires