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seizures may be suspected. Prolonged post-ictal or peri-ictalpsychotic state is possible but coexistence of OCD withseizures in a complex neurological syndrome like autismmust be considered.
Key words: spinning; tail-chasing; obsessive compulsivedisorder; dog; epilepsy
ARE BOLD CATS MORE HUNTERS THAN SHY CATS?M.-A. Forin-Wiart1,2,*, M.-L. Poulle1,21Universit�e de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Laboratoirede Parasitologie-Mycologie, EA 3800, IFR 53, UFR deM�edecine, 51, rue Cognacq-Jay, F-51092 Reims Cedex2URCA-CERFE, 5 rue de la H�eronni�ere, F-08240Boult-aux-Bois*Corresponding author: [email protected]/Fax: (33) 3 24 71 16 07
The identification of factors having that may influence thepredatory behavior of the domestic cat (Felis catus) is of con-cern for epidemiologists and conservation biologists, as wellas for cat owners who care about biodiversity. We assumedthat some differences in predation rate and efficiency be-tween cats could be explained by differences in cat tempera-ment, all other characteristics (age class, sex or reproductivestatus) being equal. Temperament is defined as behavior thatvaries among individuals but is consistent across time andcontexts within individuals. For many vertebrate speciestemperament varies along a continuum from ‘‘bold’’ to‘‘shy’’ individuals. We characterized the temperament andthe predatory behavior of 15 adult cats (7 females and 8males) living in a rural area. All cats are neutered, fed ad li-bitum and free to hunt outside houses. Their temperamentwas determined with the Feline Temperament Profile (FTP)test as described by Siegford et al. (2003). Predatory behaviorwas assessed by: 1) the time spent inside/outside house deter-mined by fitting the cat with a GPS collar during 24 h; 2) thenumber of prey killed per hunting hour, the mean number ofsuccessful kills per number of attempts and the hunting strat-egy (mobile/stationary), all of which were determined fromdirect observation using the focal animal sampling method(at least 5 hours of observation per cat); 3) the interest ofcats in a live prey, evaluated by recording their behaviorwhen exposed to a shrew alarm cry. Relationships betweenthese 5 variables and scores of cats in FTP test were investi-gated. The feasibility of attempting to categorize one cat’spredatory behavior depending on its shy or bold temperamentis a concern.
Key words: feline temperament; predation rate; domesticcat; rural area
Reference
Siegford, J.M., Walshaw, S.O., Brunner, P., Zanella, A.J., 2003. Validation
of a temperament test for domestic cats. Anthroz€oos 16, 332–351.
FROM INTERSPECIFIC ATTACHMENT RELATIONSHIP TO
HUMAN DIRECTED AGGRESSIONM. G�acsi*E€otv€os Lor�and University, Ethology Department,Budapest, Pazmany P. s. 1/c, H-1117, Hungary*Corresponding author: [email protected]We evaluated 3 major issues related to the dog’s inter-specific social behavior: attachment, aggression, andcommunication. Using different versions of the StrangeSituation Test, originally developed for studying themother–infant relationship in humans, we found that dogsuse the owners as a secure base in different contexts, andshow clear behavioral manifestations of a specific, individ-ualized attachment relationship that is analogous to themother-infant bond. Additionally, significant species-spe-cific behavioral differences towards their human caregiverswere found between dogs and extensively socializedwolves, which could be best explained by selective pro-cesses in the course of domestication. Test results withshelter dogs challenged the concept that owners shoulddevelop a bond with their puppies by the age of 12 weeksotherwise no attachment can be built. Several test serieshave been developed to objectively assess dogs’ aggressivebehavior to humans, but it proved to be difficult to work outa practical test with great predictive value. Revealingpotential aggressive tendencies in shelter dogs is evenmore problematic because these dogs may show minimalaggressive responses in shelter conditions. Comparativestudies on dogs and wolves suggest that social preferences,aggression and some aspects of temperament may influencethe performance even in tests designed to assess cognitive/communicational abilities.
Key words: attachment; human-directed aggression;interspecific communication
LUPINE AND CANINE SCIENTIFIC MYTHOLOGIESS. Gadbois*Canid Behavior Lab, Department of Psychology/Neuroscience & Neuroscience Institute, DalhousieUniversity, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 4R2*Corresponding author: [email protected]
For the past twenty years the media and the public havebeen avidly consuming science. The popularization ofscience has become a lucrative market in journalism.Many scientists and other professionals now dedicate animpressive amount of their time taming scientific informa-tion for the consumer. Is this infatuation for science behindthe complete chaos within popular science about the genusCanis? Three canine species (dogs, wolves, and coyotes)are victims of misinformation and endure a few persistentmyths (e.g., dominance, submission). Science progressesby the polarization of ideas/theories, even contradictoryones, in order to attain a consensus, sometimes leading to
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