Zoology Department, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
Prev Vet Med. 2012 Apr 1;104(1-2):125-35. doi: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2011.11.006. Epub 2012 Jan 10.
The attitudes and behaviours of cat owners in regard to treatment of cats may have a cumulative effect on the food availability, reproduction, density and welfare of the free-roaming cat population and thus also on the extent of cat overpopulation. Understanding this is thus a vital step in the a priori planning of cat management programs on any scale, as well as in developing public education programs on this issue. Although recent years have seen an accumulation of knowledge in regard to cat owners' attitudes and behaviours, the findings vary among countries and locations and in Israel this has never been investigated systematically. Using a questionnaire provided to cat owners in veterinary clinics, this study aimed at identifying those attitudes and behaviours that may be contributing to cat overpopulation in Tel Aviv, Israel, and at exploring the socio-economic factors that influence this problem. The findings show that the influential factors can be predicted from the cat owners' socio-economic status, mainly education and income, as well as gender and age. A consistency in those cat owner behaviours that contribute to cat overpopulation was also uncovered, revealing a sub-population of individuals who persist in the undesirable behaviours. Finally, a strong relationship between attitude and consequent behaviour was demonstrated, indicating the importance of education and targeted publicity as a means to influence attitudes and thereby change behaviours in this respect. We propose several measures by which to reduce the current extent of cat owners' contribution to the cat overpopulation: discouraging unwanted owner behaviours such as abandonment of their cats and allowing them to breed; promoting awareness of the neutering option among cat caretakers; and increasing pre-adoption neutering rates in shelters. Regional and national laws promoting responsible pet ownership need to be enacted. By improving the current level of knowledge and awareness among cat owners regarding cat overpopulation issues, and encouraging a more responsible attitude, cat owners' bond with their cats could be strengthened, as well as their bond with and contribution to their environment.
猫主人对待猫的态度和行为可能对流浪猫种群的食物供应、繁殖、密度和福利产生累积影响，从而也影响到猫过度繁殖的程度。因此，了解这一点是在任何规模上预先规划猫管理计划以及制定关于这一问题的公众教育计划的重要步骤。尽管近年来人们对猫主人的态度和行为有了更多的了解，但这些发现因国家和地点而异，在以色列，这方面从未进行过系统的调查。本研究使用兽医诊所提供给猫主人的问卷，旨在确定可能导致以色列特拉维夫猫过度繁殖的态度和行为，并探讨影响这一问题的社会经济因素。研究结果表明，影响因素可以从猫主人的社会经济地位（主要是教育和收入）以及性别和年龄来预测。还发现了那些导致猫过度繁殖的猫主人行为的一致性，揭示了一个坚持不良行为的个体亚群。最后，还证明了态度和随之而来的行为之间存在很强的关系，表明教育和有针对性的宣传作为一种影响态度从而改变这方面行为的手段的重要性。我们提出了几种措施来减少当前猫主人对猫过度繁殖的贡献：劝阻他们遗弃和让他们繁殖的不良行为；提高猫饲养者对绝育选择的认识；并提高庇护所中绝育前的绝育率。需要制定促进负责任宠物拥有的区域和国家法律。通过提高猫主人对猫过度繁殖问题的认识和鼓励更负责任的态度，可以加强猫主人与猫的联系，以及他们与环境的联系和贡献。
