de Oliveira Adriana Sicuto, Terçariol César Augusto Sangaletti, Genaro Gelson
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psicobiologia, Departamento de Psicologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. dos Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14040-901, Brazil.
Centro Universitário Barão de Mauá, R. Ramos de Azevedo, 423, Jardim Paulista, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14090-180, Brazil.
Animals (Basel). 2015 Apr 24;5(2):245-58. doi: 10.3390/ani5020245.
The increase of domestic animals kept in shelters highlights the need to ensure animal welfare. Environmental enrichment can improve animal welfare in many ways, such as encouraging captive animals to use all the space available to them. The effects of physical environmental enrichment on the spatial distribution and behavioral repertoire of 35 neutered domestic cats housed communally were analyzed. The provision of boxes in the environment increases the use of available space by the cats. We suggest this improves the cats' welfare while in communally-housed rescue shelters. The frequencies of active and especially inactive behaviors also increased in the enriched condition. In a test with vertical environmental enrichment, the animals showed an increased length of stay in refuges located at a height of 0.5 m compared to those on the ground (0.0 m). However, the entry frequency was higher in refuges at 0.0 m. Both horizontal and vertical environmental enrichment increased the use of available space, demonstrating that box refuges as enrichment are effective in providing a refuge when at a height, or a place to explore at ground level. We suggest it enhances the welfare of cats in communally housed shelters. This information adds to the body of evidence relating to cat enrichment and can be useful in designing cat housing in veterinary clinics, research laboratories, shelters and domestic homes.
收容所中圈养的家畜数量增加，凸显了确保动物福利的必要性。环境丰容可以在许多方面改善动物福利，比如促使圈养动物利用它们可获得的所有空间。分析了物理环境丰容对35只群居的绝育家猫空间分布和行为表现的影响。在环境中提供箱子增加了猫对可用空间的利用。我们认为这改善了群居救助收容所中猫的福利。在环境丰容条件下，活跃行为尤其是不活跃行为的频率也增加了。在一项垂直环境丰容测试中，与位于地面（0.0米）的避难所相比，动物在位于0.5米高处的避难所停留的时间更长。然而，位于0.0米处的避难所的进入频率更高。水平和垂直环境丰容都增加了对可用空间的利用，这表明作为丰容设施的箱子避难所在高处提供避难所或在地面提供探索场所方面是有效的。我们认为这提高了群居收容所中猫的福利。这些信息补充了与猫的丰容相关的证据，并可用于兽医诊所、研究实验室、收容所和家庭中猫舍的设计。
