Cat behaviour Flashcards

1
Q

how many species of cats are there

A

37
solitary and strongly territorial

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2
Q

what is cool about cheetas

A

litters remain together until they become 6 months old
females disperse
male siblings remain together

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3
Q

whats cool about African lions

A

females live in kinships (pride)
there is no dominance chain - highly cooperative
cubs are kept hidden for 6 weeks before getting introduced into the bride
male siblings remain in groups and compete for females
pride changes ownership regularly - infanticide - ekill the young to stop genes from moving on
males eat first

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4
Q

whats cool about the felis silvestris wildcat

A

no group living besides mother and offspring
strongly territorial but not asocial
communication with neighbouring territories due to scent
do not adapt group livign even if resources are available

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5
Q

what is the history of cat domestication

A

socialization might have started with the man made grain stores - prey expansion
introduction of cats into urba areas to control mouse populations
reproduction isolation from its wild counterparts
secure resources

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6
Q

what type of groups do cats live in

A

exclusively matriarchal
remarkable degree of flexibility in their social arrangements
free living females build colonies with siblings and thei kittens depend on

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7
Q

is there a dominance hierarchy

A

adults are both breeders and helpers
mother recognize their offspring but also take care of unrelated kittens
feeding priority is given to juveniles under 1 year old

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8
Q

what is the benefit to group living in females

A

reduce competition with other females
protection from males
protection from predators
defence of good territories (food and shelter)
better use of resources
shared information

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9
Q

what are the disadvanteges

A

draw more attention to themselces
disease spread (transmission of viruses)

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10
Q

how do males live

A

free living males older than 1 year become solitary
no coalitions are formed (unlike cheetas or lions)
fight for mates
no infanticides - they dont know which ones are theres and theres a group of females

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11
Q

what does communication do

A

mother kitten relationship
mating
agression - agonistic and affiliative

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12
Q

how is agonistic behaviour meaured

A

in threats
staring
horzontal tail, lashing of the tail
assuming threatening postures to maximize body appearance
ritualized vocal duels
baring canines
striking a paw
biting
non sexual mount
chasing

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13
Q

what are submissive signals

A

avoidance, elevation, crouching, retreat and rolling

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14
Q

what affiliative behaviours

A

tail up postures
allorub - exchange of odour
allogroom
social sniff

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15
Q

what are mating behaviours

A

calling to attract males
rolling around on the belly and back
holding her tail to the side to expose genitalia
excessive affection
excessive rubbing against inaimate objects

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16
Q

other kitten relationship

A

ontogeny of behaviour
prenatal phase - kittens preference for food that the moter ate during pregnancy
0-2 weeks : early stage (touch taste and smell)
3-9 weeks : mobility and some independence critical period for socialization
mothers clean their kittens
kittens - call to mothers, tail goes up when kittens see their mother, head rubbing

17
Q

what is the purpose of play behaviour

A

primarily juvenile activity
social play increases from week 4 to 12 after birth and then decreases
in the absence of littermates a kitten will try to play with its mother
isolated kittend might not learn how to play, hindering their social communication skills

18
Q

what visual cues do companion cats show

A

tail up posture
no eye contact ‘position of the external ears
subtle tail movements
jumping up, swiping with a paw
tactile - rubbing licking and kneading
auditory - meowing and purring

19
Q

what are implications for cat welfare

A

cohabiting indoor cats tend to be aggressive with each other
obligated proximity with other cats

20
Q

what signals of stress are there

A

displacement (blocking resources)
grooming
scratches
exaggerated swallowing
head shaking
excessive soiling