Early social isolation of the domestic cat: Responses to separation from social and nonsocial rearing stimuli

Abstract

The relative contributions of social-rearing stimuli (a mother and/or a littermate) and nonsocial-rearing stimuli (a brooder) to the formation and decline of infant kitten attachments were assessed by counting the frequency of distress cries produced by separation from the following rearing conditions: (1) mother-littermate; (2) mother-only; (3) brooder-littermate; and (4) brooder-only. Four male and 4 female kittens were reared in each condition. Each kitten was separated from its rearing condition once a week, from 2 until 5 weeks of age, and placed in open field for 15 min. The frequency of distress cries in both littermate-reared groups did not significantly differ throughout the experiment. The frequency was consistently high until 5 weeks of age when distress cries were significantly reduced. The frequency of distress cries consistently increased in the mother-only-reared kittens with repeated separations, but consistently decreased in the brooder-only-reared kittens. The results were interpreted as being commensurate with the social conditions at the time of separation.

The effects of social isolation on the behavior of juvenile domestic cats

“…This result may have been due to some prolonged effects of separating the kittens from their littermates. These 2 groups did not differ in the frequency of their vocalizations (distress cries), produced by separation from their rearing condition during infancy (Guyot et al, 1980). These differences may provide some indirect support for West's suggestion that littermate experience is important for maintaining friendly social relations among members of a litter.…”

“…They were then weaned and housed in standard laboratory adult cat cages (61 X 45 X 69 cm) with their littermate, or alone, depending on the rearing condition. During infancy each kitten had been separated once a week (from 2 to 5 weeks of age) from its rearing condition and placed in an open field for 15 min in order to determine the distress produced by separation from the various rearing conditions (See Guyot, Cross, & Bennett, 1980).…”

Behavioral differences as predictors of breeding status in captive cheetahs

“…A study on domestic cats found that human-reared females were less likely to copulate successfully and were more aggressive than mother-reared females [Mellen, 1992]. Profound effects of early rearing conditions on subsequent adult behavior were reported for a variety of other species (e.g., rhesus monkeys and chimpanzees [Mason et al, 1968;Rogers and Davenport, 1969;Walsh et al, 1982]; dogs [Fox and Stelzner, 1966]; domestic cats [Guyot et al, 1980]; silver foxes, Vulpes vulpes [Pederson, 1993]; rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus [Kerstner et al, 1989]; and rats [Levine et al, 1967]). It has been suggested that individuals reared in a socially deficient environment may be less able to cope with novel or otherwise stressful situations such as mate introductions and caring for young [Carlstead and Shepherdson, 1994].…”

Feline Infectious Peritonitis: European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases Guidelines

“…However, the procedure failed in another study in which kittens were found to shed FCoV already as early as at the age of two weeks [122]. Veterinary behaviourists also advise against early weaning due to socialisation problems arising in these kittens [435][436][437], and this, together with the laborious nature of early weaning, makes it unpopular amongst most veterinarians [59].…”