Department of Comparative Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, United States of America.
Department of Clinical Sciences & Advanced Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2024 Sep 4;19(9):e0309068. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0309068. eCollection 2024.
Both cats and dogs fetch, but the likely function(s) of this behavior for each species have not been compared. In this study, we assessed data from online surveys of cat and dog behavior (Fe-BARQ; C-BARQ) completed by cat (N = 8224) and dog owners (N = 73724). We assessed responses to the items "Plays 'fetch'; likes to retrieve thrown objects or toys" (Fe-BARQ) and "Will 'fetch' or attempt to fetch sticks, balls, or objects" (C-BARQ). Cats and dogs described as "sometimes," "usually" or "always" fetching were categorized as fetchers. Regression models were used to examine which animal-related (e.g., sex, age) and environmental factors best predicted fetching, and chi-square tests were used to explore the effect of breed on fetching behavior. Fetching was reported in 40.9% of cats and 77.8% of dogs. In cats, fetching was correlated with play and activity. In dogs, fetching was correlated with overall trainability. In both cats and dogs, being female, older, living with (other) dogs, and having health problems decreased the likelihood of fetching. Breed effects were observed in both species, with fetching more prominent in cat breeds originating in the Far East (e.g., Burmese, Siamese, and Tonkinese) and in dog breeds from the Retriever, UK Rural, Poodle, Pointer and Spaniel clades. We discuss the results in the context of domestication history of both cats and dogs and posit several hypotheses about why fetching behavior is observed in both.
猫和狗都会取物，但这两种物种取物的可能功能尚未进行比较。在这项研究中，我们评估了猫（N = 8224）和狗主人（N = 73724）在线完成的猫行为（Fe-BARQ；C-BARQ）和狗行为（Fe-BARQ；C-BARQ）调查数据。我们评估了对“玩取物游戏；喜欢取回投掷的物体或玩具”（Fe-BARQ）和“会取物或试图取棍、球或物体”（C-BARQ）这两个项目的回答。被描述为“有时”、“通常”或“总是”取物的猫和狗被归类为取物者。我们使用回归模型来检查哪些与动物相关的（例如，性别、年龄）和环境因素最能预测取物行为，并使用卡方检验来探讨品种对取物行为的影响。40.9%的猫和 77.8%的狗会取物。在猫中，取物与玩耍和活动有关。在狗中，取物与整体训练能力有关。在猫和狗中，雌性、年龄较大、与（其他）狗一起生活以及存在健康问题会降低取物的可能性。在这两个物种中都观察到了品种效应，来自远东的猫品种（例如，缅甸猫、暹罗猫和东奇尼猫）和来自猎犬、英国农村犬、贵宾犬、指针犬和西班牙猎犬分支的狗品种取物行为更为明显。我们根据猫和狗的驯化历史讨论了结果，并提出了一些关于为什么在这两种动物中都观察到取物行为的假设。
