Cat Behaviour Flashcards
Taxonomical order of cats?
Carnivora
What were the first carnivores classified as (family)
Miacidae
Cats branched off from miacidae as…
Viveravines
How did selective pressures affect african wildcats?
Cats more tolerant to people and other cats have access to more food and shelter (human granaries = mice and rodents)
What is allogrooming and allorubbing
Rubbing/grooming that helps form a bond and is RECIPROCATED
How do different breeds of cats differ from different breeds of dogs
Physical appearance varies, but behaviour mostly the same
How does the tapetum lucidum aid in night vision
Light reflects off the retina
Who exhibits the flehmen response most
Tomcats
Difference between home range and home territory?
Cat feels comfortable in the home range (can be multiple cats) but are willing to defend their home territory
What is epimeletic vs etepimeletic behaviour
Epimeletic = care-giving behaviour (mom)
Etepimeletic = care-seeking behaviour (kitten)
Why do cats scratch
Leave visible or scent cues, stretch
Why do cats spray
Mark territorial boundaries, during mating season males/females find each other
When do cats groom
When they feel safe OR when they’re frustrated
What is special about the meow vocalization
Usually only used to greet humans, rare in cat-cat communication
When are kittens weaned
7-8 wks. nursing time starts to decline at week 5
Describe typical African wildcat behaviour
Solitary species, shy of humans, adults only come in contact to mate, establish territories to avoid contact
Cats are induced ovulators, what is this
Ovulate after first mating
Why would free-living cats form a social group
Stable/concentrated food source, availability of shelter and nest sites
When would free living cats not form a group
When there is a surplus of dispersed food
What kind of cats form a social group
Related adult queens and offspring
If not part of the social group, what do tomcats do
Move between groups to mate
what are affiliative behaviours
Allogrooming and allorubbing, strengthen bond and are RECIPROCATED
Why does behaviour not differ significantly between different breeds? What does?
Physical appearance (coat colour/type, anatomy)
Behaviour not different because breeds were not selected/developed for different working functions
Describe cat vision
Near sighted, dichromatic, good night vision (tapetum lucidum behind retina reflects light), pupil changes aperture
Binocular vision = 100-130
Panoramic = 250-280
When do cats open their eyes
17 days
Describe a cats hearing
Developed at 4 weeks, 10-60KHz (hunt small prey), pinna rotation 180
Describe a cats sense of smell
Developed at birth (find teat, recognize home/litter mates/mom) more acute than humans, vomeronasal organ (tomcats = flehmen), mark territory
What happens to a cat when it loses its sense of smell
loss of smell = loss of appetite, change toilet habits
What is a home range vs home territory
Home range is the range in which the cat is comfortable roaming, territory is what they’ll defend
What does the order of dominance depend on
Time and place
What is agonistic behaviour
Tension/posturing to try to get another cat to move but not fighting
What is the most important period of a cats life
Socialization period
Contact with more than one adult cat crucial
Primary contact is mom/siblings
What is epimeletic vs etepimeletic behaviour
Epimeletic = care giving
Etepimeletic = care seeking (strange environment)
What are the forms of scent marking in cats
Cheek and head rubbing, scratching, spraying
Describe scratching behaviour in cats
Visible/foot scent gland secretions detectable by intruder.
Stretching
More scratching = more significant object
Describe spraying behaviour in cats
Back up, raise tail, spray urine.
Mostly by tomcats (territorial boundaries)
Brings male & female together during breeding season
Describe cheek and head rubbing behaviour in cats
Chair, table, legs
Scent glands on tail, forehead and lip/chin region marking special territory
Tactile communication in groups (affiliative)
Cats presence usually needs to be acknowledged before head rubbing against human
How do feral and domestic cat rubbing differ
Feral cats rub more for conspecifics (dominance? Rub less against objects)
How much time is spent by cats grooming per day
30%
Why do cats groom
Reduce anxiety when frustrated
Keep skin healthy (dander, parasites)
Social grooming
What are the three categories of cat body postures/facial expressions
Offensive threat (stare ready to attack)
Defensive threat (back arched; halloween cat, approach sideways)
Passive crouch (tail down, submissive)
When is acoustic communication important
When cats cannot see each other
What are the different call types
Purring (developed as kitten when full of milk/resting)
Meow (usually greeting person)
Growl/yowl for aggression
Hiss/spit is defensive
Yowl also for mating
Do cats experience one period of estrus?
No, they are polyestrus
How does a female in heat behave
Active/nervous, loud mating calls
How do females act during proestrus
Rolling, purring, stretching, open/closing of claws rhythmically
Does one female mate with one male during estrus
No, may be multiple
How does mating occur in cats
Male approaches from behind, female receptively crouches, elevates her tail and holds it to the side.
Once penis withdrawn the female may become aggressive, roll and rub herself on the floor
Queens behaviour before parturition?
Finds dark quiet place
What does the Queen do right after the kittens are born
Licks them to stimulate respiration/clean. Licks/touches kitten crawling away
Nursing begins 1-2 h after birth
Teat order develops
Grooms kittens, plays with them, cleans nest
What happens at the 5th week of life
Nursing time decreases, mother teaches kittens predatory behaviour (social play comes beforehand)
Describe the prenatal period
Conception to parturition
63 days gestation (3-7 days longer than AWC)
Describe the neonatal period
First two weeks
Closed eyes, poor auditory
Olfaction present at birth, developed at 3 weeks
Tactile —> auditory —> visual
Dominated by thermal, tactile, olfactory stimuli
Responds to sound at 5 days, orients towards sound at 2 weeks, developed at 4 weeks
Eyes closed until 7-20 days
Describe the neonatal period
Immobile for first two weeks (paddling gait)
Teeth at 2 weeks
Mother licks to stimulate
Describe the transitional period
2-3 weeks
Rudimentary walking at 3 weeks, moving well at 4 weeks
Solid food at 4 weeks (weaning begins)
Social play at 4 weeks
Describe the socialization period
3-10 weeks
Righting reaction at 4-6 weeks
5-6 weeks = voluntary elimination, search for object disappeared
Weaning done at 7 weeks
Adult sleep patterns = 7-8 weeks
Complex motor patterns 11-12 weeks
Describe the juvenile period
Adult teeth at 3 and a half months
when is olfaction fully developed
3 weeks
what does mutual gaze signify
Threat
How do cats scent mark
Scratching, spraying, cheek/head rubbing,
when do feral cats mark more
In front of conspecifics
A female in proestrus period will…
Roll, purr, stretch, rythmically open/close claws
