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🧬 The Felid Wiki — 3,000 research summaries
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13 summaries matching “felids” in Captive Care & Welfare on domestic-cat
Operational details of the Five Domains Model and its application to welfare assessment
ReviewMellor elaborated the Five Domains Model, which structures welfare assessment around four physical and functional domains, nutrition, environment, health and behaviour, that feed into a fifth, the ani…
Mellor DJ · Animals · 2017
Research overview: abnormal repetitive behaviours in cats beyond pacing
OverviewWhile pacing dominates discussion of felid stereotypy, captive cats display a range of other abnormal repetitive behaviours that signal welfare problems. This overview surveys these: route-tracing and…
Research overview: agency, choice and control as welfare requirements for captive cats
OverviewA growing body of welfare thinking holds that giving animals control over their environment, the ability to make choices and influence outcomes, is itself a key contributor to good welfare. This overv…
Research overview: assessing positive affective states in captive felids
OverviewModern welfare science increasingly seeks not just to minimise suffering but to promote positive emotional states, yet measuring positive affect in cats is challenging. This overview surveys approache…
Research overview: body condition, obesity and feeding management in captive felids
OverviewSedentary captive cats fed energy-dense diets are prone to obesity, which carries serious welfare and health consequences. This overview surveys body-condition management in felids: the prevalence and…
Research overview: catnip, silver vine and olfactory attractants in domestic and wild felids
OverviewThe catnip response, a heritable reaction to nepetalactone causing sniffing, rubbing, rolling and a euphoric-seeming state, occurs in many domestic cats and some non-domestic felids. This overview sur…
Research overview: chronic stress physiology and disease in captive felids
OverviewChronic activation of the stress axis can suppress immunity, impair reproduction and contribute to disease, and several captive cat species show evidence of such chronic stress. This overview surveys…
Research overview: cognitive enrichment and problem-solving devices for captive felids
OverviewCognitive enrichment challenges animals to solve problems for rewards, engaging mental faculties and providing a sense of control. This overview surveys the emerging use of cognitive enrichment for ca…
Research overview: managing osteoarthritis and mobility in ageing captive cats
OverviewDegenerative joint disease is extremely common in older cats, both domestic and exotic, yet often under-recognised because cats mask pain. This overview surveys how osteoarthritis is detected and mana…
Research overview: olfactory and scent enrichment for captive felids
OverviewBecause cats rely heavily on smell for hunting, social communication and exploring their world, scent-based enrichment is a natural fit for felid welfare. This overview surveys studies adding novel od…
Research overview: predatory play, object play and welfare in captive cats
OverviewPlay, especially object play that mimics hunting, is both an indicator and a contributor to good welfare in cats, and its absence can signal stress or poor environments. This overview surveys research…
Research overview: qualitative behaviour assessment and affective state in felids
OverviewQualitative Behaviour Assessment asks trained observers to score the expressive demeanour of an animal, capturing emotional qualities such as relaxed, tense, content or frustrated that quantitative et…
Research overview: welfare frameworks from the Five Freedoms to positive welfare
OverviewConceptual frameworks structure how we judge captive animal welfare, and they have evolved over time. This overview surveys the progression from the Five Freedoms, freedom from hunger, discomfort, pai…