Experimental psychology of cats; fast-track publication

Feline Psychology

Abstract

Introduction, background and hypothesis: House cats, particularly of tortie colouring, are reputed to favour single-human attachment and exercise excess territoriality. The study intends to assess the relative weights of attachment and territoriality in a real-world n=1 model.

Design: n=1, empirical, longitudinal study of single-human attached cat behaviour over 14 days of significant-human withdrawal and subsequent olfactory challenge

Subject: White and tortie longhair, with high attachment index at baseline (selective attention, proximity, body-rubbing, paw-tapping and purring evoked behaviours), elicitive of grooming and petting behaviours from significant human. Reproducible reflex aggressive behaviour at olfactory contact with olfactory challenge from Heather.

Method: i) 2 week exposure to hiss-inducing human during significant-human withdrawal. ii) Re-introduction of significant humans smeared in olfactory challenges of contacts with Reekie the foreign dog and/or Pierre the foreign cat.

Results: i) Over 2 weeks desensitisation without the reinforcement of others, Subject developed and demonstrated nearly all signs of attachment- proximity, attention- while still occasionally exhibiting hissing as an evoked response when olfactorily challenged. ii) In a controlled trial of olfactory-tainted significant-human, smeared with dog and/or cat smells, Subject displayed full range of attachment behaviours without territorial displays (e.g. hiss, ear retroflection, defensive crouch). Instead, excessive head-rubbing, attention-seeking, bed-sleeping, and cupboard-love vocalisation were exhibited. These responses occurred independent of whether significant humans were dog-only, cat-only or dog+cat exposed.

Conclusion: Forebrain even in a cerebrum the size of a grape, can cancel out mesencephalic elicited responses in one strain of domesticated feline females.