Exam 4 Flashcards
Why + how do reptiles use escape mechanisms?
Through their behavior, they do this in order to avoid detection
What are some escape mechanisms that reptiles use?
Immobility, olfactory masking, micro-habitat selection
What is aposematic defense behavior?
Using color in order to deter predators
What is ecdysis?
The process of shedding skin
What are some actions that may prompt stress hormones?
Change in habitat features No concealment location Unusual sensory cues Handling Group housing
Is captive enrichment good for reptiles?
No!
Should reptiles be trained?
No!
What type of enrichment should reptiles have?
The only enrichment that a reptile should have is finding live food
What are examples of scent communications seen in the Caressing the Tiger Video? What purpose did they serve?
- Spraying deposits to mark territory
- Scratch marks are visual and glands from paws
- Glands on face and tail –> used to mark territory
How do cats display aggression / avoid fights?
Body posture/intimidation (hissing, growling)
What are the friendly greetings of cats?
more subtle and fleeting - nose touch or body rubbing
How do cats learn to hunt?
In the wild: mother cat will bring live prey for young to learn
- learn to hunt/ stalk through play
What is high-rise syndrome? How do cats correct during a fall?
When cats in large/ tall apartments look out windows and fall out –> cats that fall further are usually hurt less. They have time to free fall and relax so that the impact is not as much
What are common behaviors between domestic cats and big cats? What are behavioral differences?
Most behaviors of domestic cats have a parallel in the wild.
- Cat mothers keep their young clean, refine predatory skill through play
- Always alert for cues that signify food or danger
- Same communal behavior as lion prides in grouped domesticated cats
What are adaptations the cat has made to live in groups?
There is a subtlety to cat communication when living in groups. Cooperative care by groups of females means that young will be more likely to survive.
Why is it that in the cat hunting behaviors are still selected for and in the dog, they are not (resulting in the average domesticated dog being an inefficient hunter)?
Non pedigree cats are not completely domesticated. Feral cats have to rely on their own hunting ability to feed themselves.
~ we domesticated cats with the idea that they would hunt rodents. Dogs don’t need to hunt on their own
–> Not as much selective breeding for cats
What is the monotony effect?
When cats get bored of food if they eat the same thing.
How is the monotony effect beneficial to the survival of cats?
This effect should reduce the probability that an unbalanced diet is taken because no two foods with markedly different flavors should contain the same nutritional deficiencies
What is neophobia?
Fear of new food items + when cats prefer food they’ve had previously
How is neophobia beneficial for the survival of cats?
The possibility of strong contrasts could indicate that the food is not safe to eat
Does nature or nurture have a more pronounced effect on food preferences for cats? Why is this important?
Nurture –> cats will develop taste for what their mother ate and what they are fed when they are young
Why would it be advantageous to feed cats a variety of foods?
Because it would ensure that they are having a variety of nutrients for a complete diet
Where was the cat first domesticated?
Ancient Egypt
Why were cats domesticated?
Domestication due to grain silos
- Abundant amount of grain attracted a large number of rodents
How do the cats’ physical changes differ from that of the dogs due to domestication?
The cat has undergone fewer physical changes due to domestication compared to dogs
What has selective breeding led to in cats?
Selective breeding has led to changes in hair coat and eye color
Is the domesticated cat still very similar to the wild predecessor?
Yes
How many different breeds of cats are there
Over 100 different breeds of cats
- Around 40 recognized by breed associations
What are cat breeds based on?
Body type, coat color and length, and eye color
How much breed variation is there of cats compared to dogs?
Less breed variation
What is cat parenting like?
- Some cats monogamous and co-raise young
- Mostly mother raises young
- Initially, nurse as much as 6-8 hrs/day
- Group cats –> communal rearing
Neonatal cats
- Altricial
- Primary behavioral concerns:
~ Acquire food, stay warm, maternal care - Relatively immobile
- Thermoregulatory systems not fully developed
- Require tactile stimulation for urination and defecation
- Well- developed olfactory and tactile systems
- Poor hearing and eyes closed
Neonatal cats innate behaviors
- Rooting reflex:
~ Triggered by maternal licking
~ Enables kittens to locate teat
~ Develop nipple preference
- Go limp while being carried by scruff of neckFeeding behaviors
First 2 weeks:
- At least 4 hours per day
At 2-3 weeks:
- Decreases to 2-3 hours per day
Mother initiates feeding for first 3 weeks
Mother cat parenting
- At 3 weeks, suckling initiated more by young
- At 5 weeks, mother brings home prey to kittens
~initially dead prey
~as get older, brings live prey
When do kitten eyes open?
Eyes open between d 2 and 16
- Most 7-10 days
What affects when eyes open?
Varies depending on genetics. age of mother, handling by humans, kitten’s gender
When do kittens recognize mother visually vs olfaction?
By 3 weeks
When do ear canals open?
Over first 2 weeks
When do kittens have adult orientation to sounds?
At about 5 weeks
When do deciduous teeth erupt?
At about 2 weeks
- Continues to 5 weeks
When do kittens begin replacing neonatal behaviors with adolescent and adult behaviors
3 weeks
- Don’t need stimulation for elimination
- Will leave sleeping area
- More mobile
When do kittens develop full adult repertoire?
7 weeks
When is kittens most sensitive period?
Between 2 and 7 weeks old
What happens when kittens have no interaction?
They are hard to tame
What is appropriate amount of socialization for kitten per day?
At least 30 min per day
Role of Adult Cats in Behavioral Development
- Strong bond between mother and offspring
- Father not involved in parental care
- May also be impacted by social group if housed in a group
What does mother provide to kitten (food)?
- Nursing
- Between 26 and 32 d, bring killed prey
- Week 5, mother brings live prey
- Beginning of weaning process
~ completed by 8 to 10 weeks of age
How does natural behavior relate to how we should wean kittens?
Start with softened kitten food at about 2-3 week mark to end of 8 week time frame
Kitten learning
Learn by observation - Primarily mother - How to act around humans - How to hunt Learn prey recognition, link between predation and food, prefer food mother is fed
When doe object play begin in kittens?
2 weeks old
When does social and object play begin?
3 weeks
When does exploratory play increase?
Increases in first 7 weeks
- Explore motor skills
- Climb jump balance
Milestones: Stalking, chasing, arch back Wrestling Climbing and balancing Leaping
Day 35
Day 43
Day 48
Day 17-43
Social Play
Play with littermate, mother, another cat
Starts at about 3 weeks of age
- Peaks between 9-14 weeks
- No gender difference before 12 weeks
What does social play look like?
Inhibited or modified versions of aggressive or predatory behaviors
What makes up largest percentage of social play (at about 6 weeks)
Pounce
Object Play
Learning eye-paw coordination Manipulate small objects and toys Increases at 7-8 weeks of age Imitates predatory related behaviors - Bird, mouse, rabbit - Hallucinatory play
What is hallucinatory play?
When they play with things that aren’t there
Olfactory communication in catd
Used to mark territory
Also conveys cats gender, reproductive status, and identity
If live in a group, produce group-specific odors, identification, and group cohesiveness
Sprayed urine
- More pungent
- Provides reproductive status, territory
- Not a threat or “stay away” signal
Fecal Scents
Glandular secretions added as voided
Bury feces within home or normal territory
Don’t bury when out hunting
- Territorial marker
- May also communicate status of the animal
Submandibular
Below job
Perioral
On sides of mouth
Temporal
On sides of head
Subaceous
Under the skin
Interdigital
In between toes
Bunting
Using motion to mark with their scent
- Rub face or head on eye level
- Cheek rubbing
- Will revisit sites in home and remark
- Provide identifications
What glands are important for bunting?
Submandibular, perioral, temporal
What glands are important for scratching?
Interdigital
Scrathing
Use same site repeatedly
What is an immediate method of communication?
Vocal communication
- Is contextual
Murmur
- Mouth closes vocalization
- Acknowledgement
- Call
- Grunt
- Purr
Vowel
Mouth opened and then gradually closed
- Anger wail
- Bewilderment
- Complaint
- Demand
- Mating cry
- Siamese vocalizations
Strained intensity pattern
Mouth held open
- Mouth held open
- Express intense emotion
- Growl
- Hiss
- Mating cry
- Refusal
- Scream
- Snarl
What does body language do for cats?
Prevent or inhibit aggression
Distance reducing postures
Tells cat it is safe to approach
- Submissive postures
- Active approaches
- Play postures
- Rolling
Distance increasing postures
- Offensive threat
- Defensive threat
- Pariah threat
- Piloerection
Ancestor to domestic cat
- African Wild cat
- Solitary
- Prey on small rodents
What do cats hunt?
birds, small rodents
What don’t cats hunt?
adult rats (want to avoid risk of injury)
What is best way to feed cat?
ad libitum access
- Nibblers throughout day and night (9-16 meals/d)
Cat social structure
Not social hierarchy like other animals "Living apart together" - Zones of the house May have a dominant cat - One that shows aggression
Territory
- Immediate living area
- Protected
- Scent marked
Home Range
- Area used for daily activities
- Hunting
What determines size of territory and home range?
Availability of resources, physical impediments, comfortability of hunting. proximity to other cats, mates
Housing instincts
- Return to previous home or territory after a move
- Independent of memory
~ take direct route
Resident Generalist
Resident: eat a variety of prey
Generalist: hunt within a specifies territory
Why do cats play with prey after killed?
May protect from injury
What do you need to do for treatment of behavior problems
- Need a detailed history of cat
- Develop treatment plan
- Success of treatment program
~ Type and number of behavior problems
~ Cat’s age at onset and duration
~ Degree of risk animal poses to others
~ Owner’s ability to understand, comply
What is most common behavior problem?
Inappropriate elimination
- Between 40-70% og cats referred for behavior issues
Most urination outside of litter box
Normal litter training
- Confine cat to small area containing bed. food. water, and litter box
- If outdoor cat, mix in some loose dirt
- Leave small amount of urine feces of feces in box
- Most will use readily as they don’t like to soil in their living area
What are underlying causes for inappropriate elimination?
- Medical conditions
- Anxiety
- Need to mark
- Surface aversion or litter preference
Medical conditions
Should be first cause investigated
Cats experiencing pain will associate it with litter box
Possible conditions:
- FLUTD, UTI, diabetes, GI disease, nutritional disorders, aging
FLUTD
Feline lower urinary tract disease Symptoms: - Blood in urine - Pain or frequent urination - Urinary stones or crystals - Partial or total blockages of urinary tract
Urine marking
Normal communication tool
How to tell if marking
- Site
- Vertical surfaces
- Only specific items targeted
- Near windows or doors
- Uses litter box for most elimination
- Body posture of cat
What stops spraying in male cats?
Neutering stops in 90% of male cats
Will spaying reduce spraying in female cats?
Will reduce in intact females if spraying is associated with estrus cycle
What are causes of inappropriate elimination?
Stress/anxiety New home Changes in routine Decreased attention New cat or dog Overcrowding with other cats
Treatment for spraying
Determine and eliminate causes Prevent revisiting areas marked Clean with biological cleaner Confine to small areas with litter box More litter boxes or litter boxes close to area previously sprayed Aversive stimuli Drug therapy
Litter box aversion
Cat completely stops using litter box
Large pools of urine/feces outside or around litter box
- Uses normal squatting postures
Causes of Litter box aversion
- Some cats to not like covered boxes
- Not clean enough
- Scented litter
- Litter texture
- Size of box
Cat aggression
Normal behavior
2nd most commonly reported behavior problem
When would cat be normally “aggressive”?
Food bases
Hunting
Stress
Breeding behaviors
Inter-cat aggression underlying causes
Poorly socialized Inappropriate play behavior Fear induced Redirected aggression Territorial Inter-male
What is inappropriate socialization or play behaviors most common in?
Orphans
Single kitten in litter
Weaned too early
Why is it common in these types of cats?
- Lack bite inhibition
- Claws not retracted during play
- Lack social skills
Redirected Agression
Common in house cats
Cannon direct towards causative agent
Attacks housemate
Territorial Aggression
Common in house cats - Especially when new house mate is introduced Introduce new cats slowly - Confine new cat to small area May take several weeks to months
Treatment of Inter-Cat Aggression
- Desensitize cats to each other
- Slowly move food bowls closer together
- Pet cats together
- Provide cats with own areas within the house
- Find new home for one of the cats
Inter-male Aggression
Intact males most common
Frequency increases during the breeding season
Normal behavior
Treatment? Neuter
Aggression Directed Towards People
Play behaviors
Petting induced
Defensive
Redirected
Play Behaviors
Directed at person walking by - Ambush from behind doorway Redirect play towards toys Provide novel and new toys regularly Provide consistent play periods Time outs Water bottle
Petting Induced Aggression
Over-stimulated Demonstrate normal feline communication Read cats signs that it wants to stop - Tail twitching - Inhibited bites - Restlessness
Furniture Clawing
Normal marking behavior
Most likely scratching spots
Where they sleep, near home base
Reasons for scratching
Leaving scents on paes, visual signal
Prevention and treatment of scratchign
Provide cat with a scratching post - Must be sturdy - Tall enough for cat - Place treats on top to start - Put near favorite spots Declaw
What does a rabbit being a prey animal tell us about their behavior?
Always in a state of alert
- Don’t like being handles/confined
- They scare easily
- Take more work to habituate to handling
When do rabbits eat?
At night; they are crepuscular
dawn and dusk
Coprophagy
Provides additional nutrients produced from fermentation in hindgut
Rabbit vision
- High set large eyes
- Alert to danger
- Improved field of vision
Rabbit touch
- Lips and vibrissae around mouth very sensitive
- Sensory hairs around eyes and nose
- Do not like to have noses touched or hand placed under nose to sniff
- Nasal breathers
Hearing
- Large ears
- Highly vascular
- Amplify and locate sounds
- 12% of body surface area
Why are rabbit ears helpful?
~ Help dissipate heat (maintain body temp)
~ Helps amplify sounds to detect danger
Olfactory / scent marking
Urine and glandular secretions
- More common in dominant animals and in presence of subordinates
Female scent marking
- Females mark kits with chin and inguinal glands
- Hostile towards those from clan that aren’t hers
- Will kill those from other clans or her own if marked with another animal’s scent
- Makes cross fostering hard
Do rabbits do better housed individually?
No, better in small groups than alone
Why are rabbits housed individually in production settings?
To prevent mating. ensuring appropriate feed intake, prevent disease spread
What are problems with individually housing?
Meat is better with group housing, added level of socialization. decreased problem behavior
Rabbit stereotypic behavior
Weaving, chewing, excessive grooming, chew or dig at cage
With water bottle
Up to 25% of time
- Disappear or return to normal if housed with another rabbit
Rabbits who are group housed
- Increased exercise
- Increased social contact
- Lay together, groom, nuzzlr
Rabbit dominance hierarchy
King buck and Queen doe at top
Dominant Rabbits
- Bossy, nip, push others around
- Mount other rabbits facing head of subordinates
Submissive Rabbitd
- Complies. not aggressive, timid
- Elevated heart rates
Ways to decrease aggression in rabbits?
Spaying/ neutering
Introducing bond carefully
Human Interaction
Speak softly
Move slowly
Feed at proper times
Don’t use harsh discipline
Do rabbits spend a lot of time nursing?
No- limited
Chin rubbing
Using scent glands to mark territory
Thump ground with food
Send signal of danger (stress)
Flattending
Receptive female, hiding in grass
Squatting
More relaxed, content version of sitting down
Ear Shaking
Warning signal (stressed, threat)
Lay with legs extended
really relaxed
Violent kicking
When trying to escape, want to be set down
Nip/biting
Upset or if they want something
Licking
Content/ happy
Periscope
Come up on back legs to look for danger/see surroundings
Clicking
Happy/eating
Whimpering
Most common in pregnant or younf
Tooth grinding
- Loud –> pain/stress
- Soft –> contentment
Snorting and growling
Upset/feel trapped
When is grooming common in rabbits
after handling, social settings
Decreased grooming
obesity, arthritis, pruritus associated with parasites
Can rabbits vomit
No
Behavioral signs of illness
PREY Isolation Rough hair coat Decreased appetite, anorexia, pellets Flattening Hair chewing
Spraying/Inappropriate Urination
Common offenders: in tact male
Purpose: mark territory
Prevention: neuter, spay, larger litter box
Digging
Purpose: natural species specific behavior
Prevention: bedding, digging boxes, make aversive, get exercise, enrichment
Chewing
Purpose: helps wear their teeth, natural behavior
Favorite items: carpet, cords, wooden furniture legs
Prevention: toys to chew on, pick stuff up
Nipping/ biting
Common offenders: females in estrus, dominant individuals, juvenile males approaching sexual maturity
Purpose: way to show dominance, demand to get what they want
Prevention: don’t give them what they want when they bite, ignore, spay/neuter
