After A Longer Time of Separation Cats and Owners Interact More with Each Other | Original Article

ABSTRACT:

Little is known about the requirement for human interaction for cat (Felis silvestris catus), but cats are typically thought to be more independent animals than dogs, for instance. We evaluated, before, during and after separation from their owners, the influence of time alone on cat behaviour (e.g. sociability and emotional). Each individual cat had two treatments for 30 minutes (T0.5) and 4 hours in the house, the cat was left in its own right (T4). The behaviour of the cat (or owner) before his departure and throughout the first 5 minutes of separation did not differentiate between the treatment. During separation, cats lying in the range of T0.5 (0.27±0.1 (mean ±SE)) were disproportionately smaller (T = 22.5, P = 0.02) than in T4 (0.58±0.08), perhaps because of a comparable duration for increased activity in both treatments at an earlier stage of separation. There were no variations between treatments that supported the comparisons of the interval of time (min. 20–25) in both treatments. No variation in cats' conduct, showing that cats were not effect by their separation time, was shown towards the conclusion of the separation period (the final 2 5-min periods of separation in both treatments). At the reuniton, however, after a lengthy separation time (T=10.05±0.02 0.03±0.01 T0.50.01±0.007 0.008±0.003), cats ran out more and stretchered out their cells more (T=17,P=0.04) after the meeting time. In addition, after 4 h (0.18±0.05), proprietors initiated more verbal interaction (T = 33.5, P = 0.04), compared to 30 minutes (0.12±0.03). No link was established between the degree of purring or stretching of the body by the cat and the wording of the owner suggesting that the behavioural manifestations of the cats are independent of the owner. Therefore, it seems that cats are well prepared to be alone, yet they are impacted when they are left alone since when the owner returns home they show variations in their behaviour. The increasing social interaction between cats after a longer period of separation shows an upsurge in contact seeking behaviour, which implies that the owner is an essential element of the social environment of the cat.