Predictors of the Use of Enrichment Items in Colony Housed Shelter Cats

ABSTRACT

Colony rooms provide cats with many opportunities to use enrichment, but animal shelters usually have finite resources to provision items. This study examined how cats select enrichment items when given a variety of options. Our goal was to identify whether certain enrichment might be particularly beneficial for different cats. Enrichment was categorized into three categories based on function (soft surfaces for resting, enclosed spaces for security, and vertical surfaces for vantage points). Demographic (sex, source of intake) and non-demographic (length of stay, floor space per cat, people present) features of the cats were entered into models as predictors. For all enrichment categories, the presence of people in the room significantly decreased item use, males used vertical surfaces more, all cats used vertical surfaces more the longer they were at the shelter, and cats that were seized or signed over from hoarding or cruelty cases used enclosed spaces more. Identifying patterns of enrichment use can allow shelters to more effectively distribute limited resources and maximize the welfare of individual cats during their stay at the shelter.

KEYWORDS:

• Animal shelter
• domestic cat
• Felis catus
• enrichment
• colony housing

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the SPCA serving Erie County for allowing us to conduct our research, Christy L. Hoffman and Julia Watzek for statistical advice, and Miranda K. Workman and Maya Carless for useful discussions regarding the results of this paper.