Is companion animal loss cat-astrophic? Responses of domestic cats to the loss of another companion animal

IF 2.2 2区 农林科学 Q1 AGRICULTURE, DAIRY & ANIMAL SCIENCE Applied Animal Behaviour Science Pub Date : 2024-08-01 DOI:10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106355
Brittany Greene, Jennifer Vonk
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Abstract

The examination of grief in nonhuman animals has historically been limited to anecdotal evidence. Recent investigations suggest that the psychological experience of loss may be widespread within the animal kingdom. Many studies have examined caregiver grief following the death of a companion animal but few have examined how other companion animals respond to these deaths. We sought to examine predictors related to the response of surviving domestic cats, following the death of a companion animal within the same household. A total of 412 cat caregivers were surveyed regarding both caregivers’ and surviving cats’ (n = 452) relationship with the deceased pet as well as possible immediate and long-term behavioral changes following the loss of a companion animal within the household. Amount of time spent engaging in activities together in a typical day predicted caregiver reports of increases in grief-like behaviors and fearfulness in surviving cats. More positive relationships between the deceased animal and surviving cat predicted decreases in sleeping, eating, and playing. The longer the cat had lived with the deceased animal, the more the caregivers reported increases in attention-seeking following the death. However, higher levels of caregiver attachment also predicted reports of increases in attention seeking behavior, which may reflect anthropomorphism in the projection of caregiver grief onto surviving companion animals. Consistent with this hypothesis, caregivers who experienced greater grief were more likely to report increases in their surviving cats’ sleep, spending time alone and hiding following the death. If caregivers reported avoidant attachment with the deceased cat, they reported greater decreases in grief-like behaviors in surviving cats following the death, suggesting that caregivers without strong, secure attachment binds were less likely to perceive that their surviving animals experienced grief. This is only the second known exploration of domestic cats’ responses to the death of another companion animal and reveals that cats exhibit similar grief-like behavioral changes following such deaths compared to dogs examined in previous work. That is, they engaged less in sleeping, eating and playing but more in seeking attention from humans and other pets, hiding, spending time alone and appearing to look for their lost companions. Future work is needed to determine whether these results reflect caregivers projecting their own grief onto surviving animal companions or whether cats may also experience grief following companion loss.

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失去伴侣动物是猫的灾难吗?家猫对伴侣动物死亡的反应
对非人类动物悲伤的研究历来仅限于传闻证据。最近的调查表明,失去亲人的心理体验在动物界可能很普遍。许多研究探讨了伴侣动物死亡后照顾者的悲伤,但很少有研究探讨其他伴侣动物如何应对这些死亡。我们试图研究在同一家庭的伴侣动物死亡后,幸存家猫的反应的相关预测因素。我们共调查了 412 名家猫照顾者,内容涉及照顾者和幸存家猫(n = 452)与逝去宠物的关系,以及在家中失去伴侣动物后可能出现的直接和长期行为变化。一般情况下,照顾者每天花在一起活动的时间可预测幸存猫咪悲伤行为和恐惧感的增加。逝去动物与幸存猫咪之间的关系越积极,预示着猫咪在睡眠、进食和玩耍方面的行为越少。猫咪与逝去动物生活的时间越长,照顾者报告的猫咪死亡后寻求关注的行为就越多。不过,照顾者依恋程度越高,其寻求关注行为的报告也会越多,这可能反映了照顾者将悲伤投射到幸存伴侣动物身上的拟人化倾向。与这一假设相一致的是,悲伤程度较高的照顾者更有可能报告其幸存猫咪在死亡后睡眠、独处和躲藏的时间增加。如果照顾者对已故猫咪的依恋是回避型的,那么在猫咪死亡后,他们报告的幸存猫咪的类似悲伤的行为会减少,这表明没有牢固、安全的依恋关系的照顾者不太可能认为他们的幸存动物经历了悲伤。这是对家猫对另一只伴侣动物死亡的反应进行的第二次研究,研究结果表明,与之前研究的狗相比,猫在伴侣动物死亡后会表现出类似悲伤的行为变化。也就是说,它们较少睡觉、吃东西和玩耍,而是更多地寻求人类和其他宠物的关注、躲藏、独处和寻找失去的同伴。这些结果是否反映了照顾者将自己的悲伤投射到了幸存的动物同伴身上,或者猫在失去同伴后是否也会经历悲伤,还需要今后的工作来确定。
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来源期刊
Applied Animal Behaviour Science
Applied Animal Behaviour Science 农林科学-行为科学
CiteScore
4.40
自引率
21.70%
发文量
191
审稿时长
18.1 weeks
期刊介绍: This journal publishes relevant information on the behaviour of domesticated and utilized animals. Topics covered include: -Behaviour of farm, zoo and laboratory animals in relation to animal management and welfare -Behaviour of companion animals in relation to behavioural problems, for example, in relation to the training of dogs for different purposes, in relation to behavioural problems -Studies of the behaviour of wild animals when these studies are relevant from an applied perspective, for example in relation to wildlife management, pest management or nature conservation -Methodological studies within relevant fields The principal subjects are farm, companion and laboratory animals, including, of course, poultry. The journal also deals with the following animal subjects: -Those involved in any farming system, e.g. deer, rabbits and fur-bearing animals -Those in ANY form of confinement, e.g. zoos, safari parks and other forms of display -Feral animals, and any animal species which impinge on farming operations, e.g. as causes of loss or damage -Species used for hunting, recreation etc. may also be considered as acceptable subjects in some instances -Laboratory animals, if the material relates to their behavioural requirements
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