The role of breed and gender in cat behavior (Proceedings)

Compared with looking for a new puppy for the family, looking for a new kitten is usually quite a different matter. There is generally less orientation on breed identification and probably more thought given to hair coat, color and appropriate places from which to adopt a cat, as well as tips for raising kittens to avoid problem behaviors in the future and to enhance desirable behavior. A number of behavioral patterns are of interest to cat owners, including: urine marking in the house; capturing song birds; being aggressive towards human family members; being socially outgoing; and affection towards owners.

While one may not think of a cat breed as an important variable, it is useful to know that there are breed differences in the degree to which various breeds differ, at least to get a perspective on the kinds of behaviors that may be influenced by breed-related genetics. There is also an interest in a degree to which male cats may differ from female cats in these behavioral patterns. There are considerations as well about neutering and the kinds of behavior problems that can be prevented or resolved.

While clients may not ask you to advise them on the kind of breed for their family or lifestyle, you might think about taking an opportunity to mention this particularly for those clients you think would be interested in this kind of guidance. You might also let your feline owner clients know that you are open to questions about the breeds for certain specific situations and open with regard to questions about selecting a male or female, and when to neuter. These are the topics to be discussed in this lecture along with tips on raising cats to avoid problem behaviors.

With the exception of new material on breed differences in behavior, topics in this lecture are discussed extensively in Hart, Hart and Bain, Canine and Feline Behavior Therapy, 2nd edition, 2006, Blackwell Press.

Breed Specific Behavior in Cats

The field of feline genetics is just getting underway and promises to yield a number of important perspectives with regard to cat behavioral and disease-related syndromes. We can also expect, that as in dog breeds, there can be some interesting behavioral differences between breeds of cats.

An interesting contrast between dogs and cats is that virtually all of the breeds of dogs had a beginning in a working role. We have guard dogs, herding dogs, companions in the fields for hunting, retrieving and pointing to game, companions for ferreting out foxes for hunters, and dogs for racing. Therefore, we can often trace behavioral differences in dogs back to those that would have been enhanced in the selection for various working roles. Not so with cats. Cats were virtually never selected to perform a useful function for humans. Keeping vermin down around the farm and granary was a behavior that comes naturally to the wild ancestral cat. As is obvious from looking at the morphology of different breeds, cats clearly have been subjected to artificial selection. In addition to morphology, there has evidently been selection for behavioral endpoints. Put another way, some behavioral distinguishing characteristics of purebred cats were not a "by-product" of a working role, as we see in dogs, but a function of intentional selection.

A study of 17 breeds of cats, including the generic domestic shorthair and domestic longhair, involved interviews with feline practitioners to rank samples of breeds from the master list on 12 behavioral traits. These traits included: urine spraying in the house; aggression to other cats; aggression to humans; affection towards owners; vocalization; activity level; being socially outgoing; fearfulness; and song bird predation. The same authorities were asked to compare neutered males with spayed females on these same behavioral traits.

Going into this project we did not necessarily expect to find many breed-specific behavioral differences, but we owed it to cat owners, and the science of feline behavior and genetics, to give it a try. We are finding that, indeed, at the midpoint of the project interviews, there are significant differences among breeds. These differences are most apparent when comparing some of the purebred breeds with the domestic shorthair (DSH) and domestic longhair (DSL). As an example with regard to aggression towards other cats, the Ragdoll and Cornish Rex are significantly less aggressive to other cats than the DSH and the DLH. With regard to aggression towards humans, the Ragdoll is less aggressive than the DSH or DLH, as is the Burmese. With regard to affection towards owners, the Ragdoll again comes across as a rather family-friendly breed with greater affection demand than the DLH. The Ragdoll exceeds Russian Blue in this regard as well. In urine marking we find the Siamese and Sphynx less a problem than the DSH or DLH. On the score of activity level, the Ragdoll exceeds the DSH, the Oriental, the Siamese and the Cornish Rex. With regard to song bird predation; the Oriental ranks significantly lower in this regard than the DSH and DLH. The Sphynx is less socially outgoing than the DSH or DLH. With regard to gender differences, it is probably of no surprise that neutered males are much less likely urine mark in the house than females and males tend to be more aggressive.

Effects of Neutering

For thousands of years, surgical castration has been used on male cattle, sheep, goats, and swine as part of husbandry practices. The fact that castration was readily adopted by ancient humans is testimony to the effectiveness of the procedure in altering undesirable behavior. Ancient caregivers were probably concerned with reducing serious biting among males kept for food and labor and for reducing the tendency for male animals to be aggressive towards human caretakers. Castration of companion dogs and cats is a much more recent development. In contrast to the available information on dogs, castration is much more effective in cats in eliminating urine marking, fighting with other males and mounting than the same procedure in dogs. In 80-90% of male cats one can expect marked improvement in these three behavioral patterns. About half the time one can expect to see a rather rapid change within a week or two after castration, and the other half show a more gradual change. When cats are presented with more than one problem behavior, improvement in one behavior does not necessarily predict a change in the other.

What may be surprising is that there is no indication that those male cats that are older, and more experienced in the performing the problem behavior, are any less likely to be affected than the younger, less experienced males. It is common for males to be castrated before puberty and there may be a mistaken assumption that prepubertal castration is more effective in preventing problem behaviors such as urine marking and aggressive behavior, than postpubertal castration is in eliminating these behaviors. There appears to be no relationship between the age of male cats at the time of castration and the likelihood of urine spraying or fighting as an adult. The probability of serious urine spraying occurring in cats castrated prior to adulthood is about 10% which is the same probability of castration eliminating behavior after it has started in adult males.

Advice in Raising Cats

In today's age of rearing orphaned cats it is useful to keep in mind that a number of studies reveal that there are detrimental effects of very early weaning. Data show that cats separated from their mothers at about 2 weeks of age, even if left with littermates, are more likely to be suspicious and cautious than those weaned at the usual time of 6-8 weeks. This adverse effect of early weaning does not seem to occur if kittens are left with their mothers until 4 weeks of age. Some authorities feel that wool chewing displayed by Siamese and Burmese breeds reflects separation distress of early weaning, and that these breeds are particularly sensitive to this separation process. It is a general rule that 6-8 weeks of age appears to be the best time to adopt a cat to enhance interactions both with people and with other cats. Topics that will be discussed, in terms of problem behaviors that can be avoided by some attention to early training are: house soiling; furniture scratching; biting or scratching people; and predation.