Citation

Stelow EA, Bain MJ, Kass PH. J. Appl. Anim. Welf. Sci. 2015; 19(1): 1-15.

Affiliation

c Department of Population Health and Reproduction , University of California, Davis.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/10888705.2015.1081820

PMID

26467020

Abstract

The authors explored a possible relationship between coat color and aggressive behaviors in the domestic cat. This study used an Internet-based survey to collect information on coat color, affiliative behaviors toward cats/humans, agonistic behaviors toward cats/humans, other "problem" behaviors, and cat and guardian demographic data. A total of 1,432 cat guardians completed the online survey; after exclusions based on study protocol, data analysis included 1,274 completed surveys. Guardians reported sex-linked orange female (tortoiseshells, calicos, and "torbies"), black-and-white, and gray-and-white cats to be more frequently aggressive toward humans in 3 settings: during everyday interactions, during handling, and during veterinary visits. Kruskal-Wallis 1-way analysis of variance was used to compare possible differences between the 2 sexes and among different coat colors. Analyses of aggression due to handling, as well as aggression displayed during veterinarian visits, showed little difference among coat colors in these settings.

Language: en