Behavioral and adrenocortical responses to environmental changes in leopard cats

Carlstead, Brown and Seidensticker conducted an early, influential study using non-invasive hormone measures on small felids. They manipulated the housing of leopard cats, adding and removing hiding places and altering predictability, while monitoring behaviour and adrenocortical (cortisol) activity. Cats given hiding opportunities and more complex, predictable environments showed lower stress responses and less hiding-related disturbance, while barren or unpredictable conditions raised adrenal activity. The work demonstrated that environmental control and concealment are central to small-cat welfare and pioneered linking faecal or urinary glucocorticoid measures to husbandry changes. It set a template for the non-invasive endocrine monitoring now standard in felid welfare research and underscored the importance of refuges in enclosure design.