Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on October 1, 2017 - Published by group.bmj.com
News & Reports BEHAVIOUR
Feline playful: personality traits of the cat discovered A MIXTURE of five behavioural traits make up a cat’s personality, according to a recent study carried out in Australia and New Zealand. The ‘feline five’ are: n Impulsiveness (erratic and reckless behaviour); n Dominance (bullying, jealousy, aggression toward other cats); n Agreeableness (affection, gentleness, friendliness toward people); n Extraversion (vigilance, inquisitiveness, inventiveness, playfulness); n Neuroticism (insecurity, anxiety, fear of people, suspicion, shyness). In the study, almost 3000 cat owners were asked to rank 52 different traits that make up their cat’s personality – such as fearful of people, gentle and inventive – from ‘not at all’ to ‘very much so’. From this, the researchers grouped the traits into five main personality factors. Personality refers to consistent individual differences in behavioural patterns, sometimes labelled as temperament. The researchers explain that there is little known about typical pet cat behaviour, as most behavioural studies are conducted in laboratories, shelters or on free-ranging feral cat colonies. They believe that a standardised ethogram (that is, an inventory of species-specific behaviours) for pet cats would ‘facilitate the creation of standards for optimal housing and welfare’. Subjects for the study were 2802 domestic cats of varying breeds from
private homes in Australia and New Zealand. This included 1377 males, 1387 females and 38 cats of unknown sex, ranging from one to 20 years of age. The researchers explain that the ‘feline five’ could be used to improve welfare, particularly when an individual cat has unusually high or low scores on a factor. Awareness of results being considered extreme on a scale would allow owners to seek advice and consider changes to the environment or management of their cat. For example, cats that score highly for extraversion (smart, curious, inventive cats) may need additional stimulation and more complex environmental enrichment to avoid boredom. In addition, a greater understanding of a cat’s personality might help owners notice changes in their cat and then seek professional assessment by a vet or animal behaviour specialist. They also state that personality profiles may be particularly useful for managing multi-cat households, ideally before obtaining a new cat. The personality survey was part of a larger online survey called Cat Tracker. This aims to further the understanding of domestic cats and community views on their ownership and management. ● The full paper ‘The ‘Feline Five’: an exploration of personality in pet cats (Felis catus)’ is available online at: http://journals. plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal. pone.0183455 doi: 10.1136/vr.j4464 Picture: Julian Stratenschulte/DPA/PA Images
Extraversion (playful and inquisitive) is one of the ‘feline five’ personality traits
September 30, 2017 | Veterinary Record | 337
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on October 1, 2017 - Published by group.bmj.com
Feline playful: personality traits of the cat discovered Veterinary Record 2017 181: 337
doi: 10.1136/vr.j4464 Updated information and services can be found at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/181/13/337
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To request permissions go to: http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions To order reprints go to: http://journals.bmj.com/cgi/reprintform To subscribe to BMJ go to: http://group.bmj.com/subscribe/
News & Reports BEHAVIOUR
Feline playful: personality traits of the cat discovered A MIXTURE of five behavioural traits make up a cat’s personality, according to a recent study carried out in Australia and New Zealand. The ‘feline five’ are: n Impulsiveness (erratic and reckless behaviour); n Dominance (bullying, jealousy, aggression toward other cats); n Agreeableness (affection, gentleness, friendliness toward people); n Extraversion (vigilance, inquisitiveness, inventiveness, playfulness); n Neuroticism (insecurity, anxiety, fear of people, suspicion, shyness). In the study, almost 3000 cat owners were asked to rank 52 different traits that make up their cat’s personality – such as fearful of people, gentle and inventive – from ‘not at all’ to ‘very much so’. From this, the researchers grouped the traits into five main personality factors. Personality refers to consistent individual differences in behavioural patterns, sometimes labelled as temperament. The researchers explain that there is little known about typical pet cat behaviour, as most behavioural studies are conducted in laboratories, shelters or on free-ranging feral cat colonies. They believe that a standardised ethogram (that is, an inventory of species-specific behaviours) for pet cats would ‘facilitate the creation of standards for optimal housing and welfare’. Subjects for the study were 2802 domestic cats of varying breeds from
private homes in Australia and New Zealand. This included 1377 males, 1387 females and 38 cats of unknown sex, ranging from one to 20 years of age. The researchers explain that the ‘feline five’ could be used to improve welfare, particularly when an individual cat has unusually high or low scores on a factor. Awareness of results being considered extreme on a scale would allow owners to seek advice and consider changes to the environment or management of their cat. For example, cats that score highly for extraversion (smart, curious, inventive cats) may need additional stimulation and more complex environmental enrichment to avoid boredom. In addition, a greater understanding of a cat’s personality might help owners notice changes in their cat and then seek professional assessment by a vet or animal behaviour specialist. They also state that personality profiles may be particularly useful for managing multi-cat households, ideally before obtaining a new cat. The personality survey was part of a larger online survey called Cat Tracker. This aims to further the understanding of domestic cats and community views on their ownership and management. ● The full paper ‘The ‘Feline Five’: an exploration of personality in pet cats (Felis catus)’ is available online at: http://journals. plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal. pone.0183455 doi: 10.1136/vr.j4464 Picture: Julian Stratenschulte/DPA/PA Images
Extraversion (playful and inquisitive) is one of the ‘feline five’ personality traits
September 30, 2017 | Veterinary Record | 337
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on October 1, 2017 - Published by group.bmj.com
Feline playful: personality traits of the cat discovered Veterinary Record 2017 181: 337
doi: 10.1136/vr.j4464 Updated information and services can be found at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/181/13/337
These include:
Email alerting service
Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article. Sign up in the box at the top right corner of the online article.
Notes
To request permissions go to: http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions To order reprints go to: http://journals.bmj.com/cgi/reprintform To subscribe to BMJ go to: http://group.bmj.com/subscribe/
