Changes in the Dog’s and Cat’s Behaviors, as Reported by the Owners, before and during the Lockdown in China
Abstract
:Simple Summary
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Survey Design
2.2. Survey Method
2.3. Statistical Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Dogs
3.1.1. Behavioral Problems (BPs)
3.1.2. Stress-Related Behaviors (SRBs)
3.1.3. Anxiety-Related Behaviors (ARBs)
3.2. Cats
3.2.1. Behavioral Problems (BPs)
3.2.2. Stress-Related Behaviors (SRBs)
3.2.3. Anxiety-Related Behaviors (ARBs)
4. Discussion
5. Limitations of the Study
6. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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(a) Dog’s Medical Conditions | Specified by the Owner |
Dog’s living situation | Free to move in the house Kept in a crate for most or part of the day Kept in the garden with chances to move inside the house Kept on a terrace with chances to move inside the house |
Dog’s sleeping habits | Sleeps more during the day/occasionally awakens at night Awake all night Active during the day/sleep at night |
Dog’s feeding habits | Finicky, good appetite, voracious |
Dog’s play activity | 1 h/day, 30 min/day, 10 min/day, only when have time |
Behavioral problems [42] | House soiling (urination/defecation) Excessive barking Howling Destructiveness (chewing furniture, scratching, digging) Overly submissive behavior Excessive excitability/impulse control deficit Aggressive towards family members/biting Fear of people |
Stress-related behaviors [42] | Hiding Intense shedding Visible dandruff |
Anxiety-related behaviors [42] | Episodes of yawing Episodes of nose licking Episodes of grooming Episodes of panting/body tense |
(b) Cat’s Lifestyle | Indoor Only Partially Indoor/Partially Outdoor |
Cat’s medical conditions | Specified by the owner |
Cat’s living situation | Free to move in the house Kept in cage and let out few hours a day |
Cat’s sleeping habits | Sleeps during the day/awake at night Erratic nocturnal pattern/irregular daytime pattern Sleeps around the clock |
Number of litter boxes | 0, 1–2, 3–4, 5+ |
Changes of litter brand (number of times) | 0, 1, 2, 3+ |
Litter refilling | Once a week, twice a week, once a month |
Scooping litter | Once a day, twice a day, once a week |
Cat’s feeding habits | Finicky, good appetite, voracious |
Cat’s play activity | 30 min/day, 10 min/day, only when have time |
Cat’s personality (before and during lockdown) | Social Limited social Fearful Hiding all the time |
Behavioral problems [42] | Urine spraying Inappropriate elimination (feces/urine) Destructive behaviors (chewing, scratching) Aggressive behaviors/biting |
Stress-related behaviors [42] | Hiding Intense shedding Visible dandruff |
Anxiety-related behaviors [42] | Episodes of yawing Episodes of howling Episodes of meowing Episodes of pacing around the house |
(a) Dogs | Variables | Levels |
Response variables | Behavioral problems | – |
Stress-related behaviors | – | |
Anxiety-related behaviors | – | |
Predictors | Family members | 1–2/3–4/≥5 |
Living situation | Cage/free in the house/garden/terrace | |
Walks frequency | 0–4 times a day | |
Feeding frequency | Once a day/twice a day/anytime | |
Food type | Dog food/table scraps | |
Feeding habits | Finicky/good appetite/voracious | |
Sleeping habits | Active daily, sleeping at night/sleeping daily, occasionally awake at night/awake at night | |
Time spent playing | Never/10 min a day/when have time/30 min a day/1 h a day | |
Medical condition | Yes/no | |
Personality | Very calm/calm but willing to play/moderately active/very active | |
Lockdown type | Flexible/medium/strict | |
Period | Before lockdown/during lockdown | |
Random factors | Individual | Individual ID |
Breed | Individual breed | |
Sex | Female/male | |
Age | Puppy/adolescent/adult/senior | |
(b) Cats | ||
Response variables | Behavioral problems | – |
Stress-related behaviors | – | |
Anxiety-related behaviors | – | |
Predictors | Family members | 1–2/2–3/≥5 |
Living situation | Cage with opportunity to go out occasionally/free in the house | |
Lifestyle | Indoor/indoor and outdoor | |
Feeding habits | Finicky/good appetite/voracious | |
Sleeping habits | Sleeping around the clock/sleeping daily, occasionally awake at night/eratic nocturnal pattern and irregular daytime pattern | |
Number of litter boxes | 1–5 | |
Frequency of litter brand change | 0–3+ | |
Frequency of litter refilling | Twice a week/once a week/once a month | |
Frequency of litter scooping | Twice a day/once a day/once a week | |
Time spent playing | Never/10 min a day/when have time/30 min a day/1 h a day | |
Medical condition | Yes/no | |
Personality | Fearful/limited social/social | |
Lockdown type | Flexible/medium/strict | |
Period | Before lockdown/during lockdown | |
Random factors | Individual | Individual ID |
Breed | Individual breed | |
Sex | Female/male | |
Age | Kitten/junior/prime/mature/geriatric |
Response Variable | Behavioral Problems | Stress-Related Behaviors | Anxiety-Related Behaviors | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Predictors | Family members | χ² = 2.86, df = 2, p = 0.505 | χ² = 1.33, df = 2, p = 0.536 | χ² = 1.24, df = 2, p = 0.455 |
Living situation | χ² = 2.93, df = 3, p = 0.402 | χ² = 3.04, df = 3, p = 0.386 | χ² = 1.54, df = 3, p = 0.672 | |
Walks frequency | χ² = 4.93, df = 1, p = 0.026 | χ² = 0.23, df = 1, p = 0.634 | χ² = 0.30, df = 1, p = 0.586 | |
Feeding frequency | χ² = 0.04, df = 1, p = 0.837 | χ² = 0.06, df = 1, p = 0.796 | χ² = 0.99, df = 1, p = 0.320 | |
Food type | χ² = 1.75, df = 1, p = 0.186 | χ² = 1.44, df = 1, p = 0.230 | χ² = 2.26, df = 1, p = 0.133 | |
Feeding habits | χ² = 10.27, df = 2, p = 0.006 | χ² = 4.60, df = 2, p = 0.099 | χ² = 1.62, df = 2, p = 0.443 | |
Sleeping habits | χ² = 3.15, df = 2, p = 0.207 | χ² = 6.25, df = 2, p = 0.0438 | χ² = 4.64, df = 2, p = 0.098 | |
Time spent playing | χ² = 0.04, df = 1, p = 0.838 | χ² = 0.96, df = 1, p = 0.326 | χ² = 5.83, df = 1, p = 0.016 | |
Medical condition | χ² = 0.74, df = 1, p = 0.391 | χ² = 4.02, df = 1, p = 0.045 | χ² = 0.04, df = 1, p = 0.845 | |
Personality | χ² = 4.09, df = 3, p = 0.252 | χ² = 5.99, df = 3, p = 0.112 | χ² = 2.30, df = 3, p = 0.513 | |
Lockdown type | χ² = 0.68, df = 2, p = 0.712 | χ² = 2.01, df = 2, p = 0.367 | χ² = 0.01, df = 2, p = 0.997 | |
Period | χ² = 26.63, df = 1, p < 0.001 | χ² = 13.44, df = 1, p < 0.001 | χ² = 0.05, df = 1, p = 0.832 | |
Lockdown type * period | χ² = 2.93, df = 3, p = 0.402 | χ² = 1.21, df = 2, p = 0.547 | χ² = 1.16, df = 2, p = 0.560 |
Response Variable | Aggressive Behaviors | Bites | |
---|---|---|---|
Predictors | Family members | χ² = 0.92, df = 2, p = 0.631 | χ² = 0.58, df = 2, p = 0.748 |
Lockdown type | χ² = 0.13, df = 2, p = 0.936 | χ² = 0.14, df = 2, p = 0.933 | |
Period | χ² = 0.22, df = 1, p = 0.643 | χ² = 2.61, df = 1, p = 0.106 | |
Stress-related behaviors | χ² = 4.64, df = 1, p = 0.031 | χ² = 1.19, df = 1, p = 0.274 | |
Anxiety-related behaviors | χ² = 0.84, df = 1, p = 0.360 | χ² = 1.30, df = 1, p = 0.253 |
Response Variable | Behavioral Problems | Stress-Related Behaviors | Anxiety-Related Behaviors | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Predictors | Family members | χ² = 1.75, df = 2, p = 0.525 | χ² = 1.23, df = 2, p = 0.359 | χ² = 0.86, df = 2, p = 0.477 |
Living situation | χ² = 7.58, df = 1, p = 0.006 | χ² = 0.88, df = 1, p = 0.348 | χ² = 3.36, df = 1, p = 0.066 | |
Lifestyle | χ² = 0.87, df = 1, p = 0.351 | χ² = 4.93, df = 1, p = 0.026 | χ² = 1.02, df = 1, p = 0.311 | |
Feeding habits | χ² = 5.95, df = 2, p = 0.051 | χ² = 6.89, df = 2, p = 0.032 | χ² = 5.79, df = 2, p = 0.055 | |
Sleeping habits | χ² = 4.83, df = 2, p = 0.089 | χ² = 2.19, df = 2, p = 0.334 | χ² = 0.21, df = 2, p = 0.89 | |
Number of litter boxes | χ² = 0.01, df = 1, p = 0.912 | χ² = 0.01, df = 1, p = 0.911 | χ² = 0.44, df = 1, p = 0.506 | |
Frequency of litter brand change | χ² = 0.69, df = 1, p = 0.406 | χ² = 5.77, df = 1, p = 0.016 | χ² = 0.49, df = 1, p = 0.484 | |
Frequency of litter refilling | χ² = 0.87, df = 1, p = 0.351 | χ² = 0.03, df = 1, p = 0.869 | χ² = 2.68, df = 1, p = 0.101 | |
Frequency of litter scooping | χ² = 5.10, df = 1, p = 0.024 | χ² = 0.03, df = 1, p = 0.859 | χ² = 5.20, df = 1, p = 0.022 | |
Time spent playing | χ² = 2.23, df = 1, p = 0.136 | χ² = 0.00, df = 1, p = 0.973 | χ² = 1.76, df = 1, p = 0.184 | |
Medical condition | χ² = 11.08, df = 1, p < 0.001 | χ² = 11.25, df = 1, p < 0.001 | χ² = 0.83, df = 1, p = 0.362 | |
Personality | χ² = 2.89, df = 2, p = 0.235 | χ² = 5.20, df = 2, p = 0.074 | χ² = 0.09, df = 2, p = 0.955 | |
Lockdown type | χ² = 0.87, df = 2, p = 0.648 | χ² = 3.06, df = 2, p = 0.216 | χ² = 0.09, df = 2, p = 0.952 | |
Period | χ² = 24.73, df = 1, p < 0.001 | χ² = 38.33, df = 1, p < 0.001 | χ² = 0.12, df = 1, p = 0.730 | |
Lockdown type * period | χ² = 1.46, df = 2, p = 0.483 | χ² = 1.08, df = 2, p = 0.583 | χ² = 3.29, df = 2, p = 0.193 |
Response Variable | Aggressive Behaviors | Bites | |
---|---|---|---|
Predictors | Family members | χ² = 5.66, df = 2, p = 0.069 | χ² = 0.90, df = 2, p = 0.956 |
Frequency of litter change | χ² = 0.14, df = 1, p = 0.709 | χ² = 3.29, df = 1, p = 0.069 | |
Lockdown type | χ² = 0.37, df = 2, p = 0.829 | χ² = 0.06, df = 2, p = 0.967 | |
Period | χ² = 2.61, df = 1, p = 0.106 | χ² = 0.02, df = 1, p = 0.902 | |
Stress-related behaviors | χ² = 3.19, df = 1, p = 0.074 | χ² = 2.47, df = 1, p = 0.116 | |
Anxiety-related behaviors | χ² = 3.66, df = 1, p = 0.055 | χ² = 0.23, df = 1, p = 0.628 |
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Platto, S.; Serres, A.; Normando, S.; Wang, Y.; Turner, D.C. Changes in the Dog’s and Cat’s Behaviors, as Reported by the Owners, before and during the Lockdown in China. Animals 2022, 12, 2596. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12192596
Platto S, Serres A, Normando S, Wang Y, Turner DC. Changes in the Dog’s and Cat’s Behaviors, as Reported by the Owners, before and during the Lockdown in China. Animals. 2022; 12(19):2596. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12192596
Chicago/Turabian StylePlatto, Sara, Agathe Serres, Simona Normando, Yanqing Wang, and Dennis C. Turner. 2022. "Changes in the Dog’s and Cat’s Behaviors, as Reported by the Owners, before and during the Lockdown in China" Animals 12, no. 19: 2596. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12192596
APA StylePlatto, S., Serres, A., Normando, S., Wang, Y., & Turner, D. C. (2022). Changes in the Dog’s and Cat’s Behaviors, as Reported by the Owners, before and during the Lockdown in China. Animals, 12(19), 2596. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12192596