Effects of Long-Term Exposure to an Electronic Containment System on the Behaviour and Welfare of Domestic Cats

Abstract

Free-roaming cats are exposed to a variety of risks, including involvement in road traffic accidents. One way of mitigating these risks is to contain cats, for example using an electronic boundary fence system that delivers an electric ‘correction’ via a collar if a cat ignores a warning cue and attempts to cross the boundary. However, concerns have been expressed over the welfare impact of such systems. Our aim was to determine if long-term exposure to an electronic containment system was associated with reduced cat welfare. We compared 46 owned domestic cats: 23 cats that had been contained by an electronic containment system for more than 12 months (AF group); and 23 cats with no containment system that were able to roam more widely (C group). We assessed the cats’ behavioural responses and welfare via four behavioural tests (unfamiliar person test; novel object test; sudden noise test; cognitive bias test) and an owner questionnaire. In the unfamiliar person test, C group lip-licked more than the AF group, whilst the AF group looked at, explored and interacted more with the unfamiliar person than C group. In the novel object test, the AF group looked at and explored the object more than C group. No significant differences were found between AF and C groups for the sudden noise or cognitive bias tests. Regarding the questionnaire, C group owners thought their cats showed more irritable behaviour and AF owners thought that their cats toileted inappropriately more often than C owners. Overall, AF cats were less neophobic than C cats and there was no evidence of significant differences between the populations in general affective state. These findings indicate that an electronic boundary fence with clear pre-warning cues does not impair the long term quality of life of cats.

Introducing a Controlled Outdoor Environment Impacts Positively in Cat Welfare and Owner Concerns: The Use of a New Feline Welfare Assessment Tool

“…The physical barrier systems studied here appear to be highly effective in providing a controlled environment to the outside for cats without the risk inherent within some other systems e.g., electronic boundary systems ( 44 ). These systems appear to provide significant improvements to various aspects of cat welfare.…”

Prioritizing cat‐owner behaviors for a campaign to reduce wildlife depredation

“…Behavioral prioritization, by integrating several critical considerations and viewpoints, and not exclusively the conservation benefit, also exposed and quantified particular values and beliefs that could significantly impact the success of a campaign. For example, 67% of veterinarians thought that keeping cats inside 24 hr a day would have a significant negative impact on cat welfare (a belief that might not be always true, for example, Kasbaoui et al, ), although it would also reduce cats' hunting to zero. Moreover, 24‐hr containment is a behavior that cat owners identify as unlikely to be achievable.…”

Uncontrolled Outdoor Access for Cats: An Assessment of Risks and Benefits

“…Kasbaoui and colleagues [8] found that on average, outdoor owned cats in England travelled 4.4 kilometers a day, suggesting cats spend a significant portion of their day travelling and exploring. Exploration allows cats to experience variety in a range of different environments, and also provides physical exercise, which can be good for cat health.…”

“…Although there are many potential welfare risks associated with uncontrolled outdoor access for cats, it has also been suggested that access to the outdoors has various benefits to cat welfare [7]. For example, it has been suggested that outdoor environments have increased natural enrichment and space for exploration, which provides for greater mental stimulation [8], and conversely, that keeping cats indoors prevents them from performing natural behaviors, such as exploring, climbing, and hunting, which might lead to boredom, frustration and increased behavioral problems [9]. Some also argue that outdoor access can improve cat health through increased physical activity [10], as they have more opportunities to roam, jump, and run.…”