Zoology Department, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
Physiol Behav. 2010 Mar 3;99(3):343-7. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2009.11.014. Epub 2009 Nov 30.
Free-roaming domestic cats in urban areas often live in defined social groups, and the breeding females in these groups tend to form structures of a matrilineal nature. In recent years, resulting from the growing populations of free-roaming cats in many cities worldwide, these cats are being managed using the Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) method. The aims of this study were to explore the hypotheses that (a) neutering reduces aggression in the females living in such social groups; and (b) if such reduction does occur, that it might be accompanied by a reduction in cortisol levels. The study was conducted on eight cat feeding groups in residential neighbourhoods in Tel Aviv, Israel. The municipal veterinary department offers TNR services upon request. Cats are collected from the feeding group and returned to their original group after neutering. We found that neutered females showed reduced aggressiveness as well as reduced cortisol levels compared to the intact females. In addition, those intact females that displayed more aggression had higher cortisol levels compared to the less aggressive intact females. Based on the results of this study it is possible to suggest for the first time a possible relationship between cortisol levels and aggression in free-roaming female domestic cats. This study is an initial step in assessing the long-term effects of Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) on the welfare of the individual cat. If cortisol levels in female cats are reduced after neutering, partly as a result of reduced social and reproductive pressures (as expressed by lower aggression of the neutered females), it is possible that TNR has an added beneficial role in cat welfare in addition to that of control of population size.
城市中自由放养的家猫通常生活在特定的社会群体中，而这些群体中的繁殖母猫往往形成母系结构。近年来，由于全球许多城市中自由放养猫的数量不断增加，这些猫开始采用诱捕-绝育-放回（TNR）的方法进行管理。本研究旨在探索以下两个假设：(a) 绝育可以降低生活在这种社会群体中的母猫的攻击性；(b) 如果这种情况确实发生，那么绝育可能伴随着皮质醇水平的降低。该研究在以色列特拉维夫的居民区的八个猫喂养群体中进行。市兽医部门应要求提供 TNR 服务。猫从喂养组中收集，并在绝育后放回其原始组。我们发现，与未绝育的母猫相比，绝育的母猫攻击性降低，皮质醇水平也降低。此外，与攻击性较低的未绝育母猫相比，那些攻击性较强的未绝育母猫的皮质醇水平更高。基于这项研究的结果，我们首次提出了自由放养的雌性家猫的皮质醇水平与攻击性之间可能存在的关系。这项研究是评估诱捕-绝育-放回（TNR）对个体猫福利的长期影响的初步步骤。如果母猫绝育后皮质醇水平降低，部分原因是绝育后的社会和生殖压力降低（表现为绝育母猫的攻击性降低），那么 TNR 除了在控制种群数量方面发挥作用外，还可能对猫的福利产生额外的有益作用。
