Haemobartonellosis in the Domestic Cat

Post-mortem examination of two cases of natural Haemobartonella felis infection in the cat is reported. In both cases haemobartonellosis was confirmed on blood smears from the diseased animals. The most noticeable macroscopic finding was a pronounced general anemia. The microscopic examination revealed hyperplasia of the bone marrow and a moderate extramedullary hematopoiesis in case 1 and in case 2 a reduction of the M/E index in the bone marrow.     

Interspecies Transmission of Feline Immunodeficiency Virus from the Domestic Cat to the Tsushima Cat (Felis bengalensis euptilura) in the Wild

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) was isolated from a wild-caught Tsushima cat (Felis bengalensis euptilura), an endangered Japanese nondomestic subspecies of leopard cat (F. bengalensis). Phylogenetic analysis of the env gene sequences indicated that the FIV from the Tsushima cat belonged to a cluster of subtype D FIVs from domestic cats. FIVs from both the Tsushima cat and the domestic cat showed similar levels of replication and cytopathicity in lymphoid cell lines derived from these two species. The results indicated the occurrence of interspecies transmission of FIV from the domestic cat to the Tsushima cat in the wild.     

Human Perceptions of Coat Color as an Indicator of Domestic Cat Personality

ABSTRACT

Associations between mammalian coat color and behavior have been investigated in a number of species, most notably the study of silver foxes by the Institute of Cytology and Genetics at the Russian Academy of Sciences. However, the few studies conducted regarding a potential relation between coat color and domestic cat personality have shown mixed results, even though many people believe that differently colored cats have distinct personalities. Understanding how humans might perceive personality in relation to coat color may have important ramifications regarding whether cats are relinquished to shelters or adopted from them. In order to assess human perceptions of differently colored cats, we conducted an anonymous, online survey, using a 7-point Likert scale and 10 terms describing personality traits that were chosen based on previous studies of animal personality. This survey examined how people assigned these given terms (active, aloof, bold, calm, friendly, intolerant, shy, stubborn, tolerant, and trainable) to five different colors of cats (orange, tricolored, white, black, and bi-colored). There were significant differences in how participants in this study chose to assign personality terms to differently colored cats. For example, participants (n = 189) were more likely to attribute the trait “friendliness” to orange cats, “intolerance” to tri-colored cats, and “aloofness” to white and tri-colored cats. No significant differences were found for “stubbornness” in any colors of cats. White cats were seen as less bold and active and more shy and calm than other colors of cats. While survey respondents stated that they placed more importance on personality than color when selecting a companion cat, there is some evidence that they believe the two qualities are linked. We anticipate our findings will be relevant to further study in domestic cat personality and to those who work in animal rescue, particularly in how shelters promote differently colored cats and educate potential adopters.     

Consumption of Domestic Cat in Madagascar: Frequency,Purpose, and Health Implications

ABSTRACT

The domestic cat Felis catus has a long history of interaction with humans, and is found throughout the world as a household pet and a feral animal. Despite people's often sentimental association with cats, cat meat is sometimes consumed by them; this practice can have important implications for public health. In Madagascar, a least developed country that has experienced recent political instability, cat consumption is known to occur, but remains poorly understood. To improve our understanding of cat consumption practices in Madagascar we interviewed 512 respondents in five towns. We used semi-structured interviews to: 1) clarify the preference for, and prevalence, correlates, and timing of, cat consumption; 2) describe methods used to procure cats for consumption; 3) identify motives for consuming cat meat; and, 4) evaluate to what extent patterns of cat-meat consumption are influenced by taboos. We found that, although cat was not a preferred source of meat, many (34%) Malagasy respondents had consumed cat meat before, with most (54%) of these indicating such consumption occurred in the last decade. We did not detect a link between consumption of cat meat and recent access to meat (a proxy for food security). Cat meat was almost never purchased, but rather was obtained when the owners consumed their own pet cat, as a gift, or by hunting feral cats. Cat meat was usually consumed in smaller towns following cat–human conflict such as attacks on chickens, but in the large capital city, cat meat was procured primarily from road-killed individuals. These results suggest cat-meat consumption is typically an opportunistic means to obtain inexpensive meat, rather than principally serving as a response to economic hardship. These results further suggest cat handling and consumption may present a potential pathway for transmission of several diseases, including toxoplasmosis, that may warrant heightened public health efforts.     

The Development of Social Behavior Through Play in the Steller Sea Lion

Steller sea lion pups were observed from birth through the eighthweek of life. Data were collected on dyadic interactions among19 marked animals. The results showed that among these precociousanimals adult-like behavioral patterns are clearly evident by2 weeks of age. In play bouts motor components of many adultmotivational states occur in mixed sequence. Most of the motorcomponents in play bouts resembled male agonistic behavior.By analyzing for the ratio of one behavioral pattern to another,play bouts were divisible into types, e.g., fighting bouts wereclearly separable from boundary defense bouts. Age, sex, terrain,and the specific play partner were all determinants of the motorcomponents used in an encounter. Sexual dimorphism was obviousand measurable, but no clear sign of a dominance hierarchy wasfound. The results are discussed in terms of the possible rolethat play behavior holds in establishing the relative stabilityor flexibility of behavior among adults.     

Maternal Touch Moderates Sex Differences in Juvenile Social Play Behavior

Additional somatosensory contact of preterm human infants improves a variety of developmental assessment scores, but less is known about its lasting consequences. In rodents, maternal contact may influence the programming of juvenile social play behavior. Therefore, we used a paradigm where we can control the levels of somatosensory contact associated with maternal care. We find that additional somatosensory contact of offspring can have lasting consequences on juvenile social play behavior in a sex-dependent manner. Specifically, additional somatosensory stimuli reduced male social play behavior, but did not change female play behavior. We then examined if this additional infant contact altered some neurobiological substrates associated with play within the juvenile amygdala. Control males had lower levels of 5HT2a receptor mRNA levels contrasted to females; however, similar to its sex-dependent effect on juvenile social play, males that received additional somatosensory contact had higher serotonin 5HT2a receptor mRNA levels than control males. No difference was found in females. As serotonin signaling typically opposes juvenile play behavior, these data suggest that maternal touch can program lasting differences in juvenile social play and 5HT2a receptors mRNA levels within the juvenile amygdala.     

Exploration and Social Play in Squirrel Monkeys (Saimiri)

Squirrel monkeys (Saimiri) have been studied in a variety oflaboratory and natural environments. The frequency and formof exploration and social play vary considerably among differentenvironments. For example, in some environments, young monkeyshave been observed to play for 3 hr per day; but in one naturalenvironment, not a single bout of social play was seen duringa 10-week intensive study. Numerous intermediate levels of playactivity have been observed. Whereas many theories of play make it appear that play is essentialfor the development of sexual behavior, integrated roles introop structure, control of aggressive responses, social cohesion,etc., the data on squirrel monkeys indicate that social organizationand many normal social behaviors can develop without socialplay. However, the opportunity to play socially provides learningexperiences that increase the variety of each animal's behavioralrepertoire and the subtly of social cues to which it can respond.An adaptive modicum of competence can appear without socialplay, but the opportunity to play socially develops the competenceof animals beyond that modicum.     

Social Play in Free-ranging Columbian Ground Squirrels,Spermophilus columbianus

Play in the Columbian ground squirrel (Spermophilus columbianus) was examined using marked individuals in a population in southwestern Alberta, Canada. The components of play varied with the age, sex and relatedness of the interactors. Only in intra-sexual play were differences apparent in littermate and non-littermate play. Male-male non-littermate play had fewer contact behaviours than littermate play, whereas female-female non-littermate play had escalations in aggressive-related behaviours. Yearling play was longer and had more aggressive-related behaviours than juvenile play. Reversals were more common in yearling bouts. The significance of those differences in social play that were related to sex, age and relatedness are discussed in light of the social organization of the Columbian ground squirrel.     

Personality Predicts Social Dominance in Male Domestic Fowl

Individuals in social species commonly form dominance relationships, where dominant individuals enjoy greater access to resources compared to subordinates. A range of factors such as sex, age, body size and prior experiences has to varying degrees been observed to affect the social status an individual obtains. Recent work on animal personality (i.e. consistent variation in behavioural responses of individuals) demonstrates that personality can co-vary with social status, suggesting that also behavioural variation can play an important role in establishment of status. We investigated whether personality could predict the outcome of duels between pairs of morphologically matched male domestic fowl (Gallus gallus domesticus), a species where individuals readily form social hierarchies. We found that males that more quickly explored a novel arena, or remained vigilant for a longer period following the playback of a warning call were more likely to obtain a dominant position. These traits were uncorrelated to each other and were also uncorrelated to aggression during the initial part of the dominance-determining duel. Our results indicate that several behavioural traits independently play a role in the establishment of social status, which in turn can have implications for the reproductive success of different personality types.     

不同激素和注射方式对家猫超排效果的比较

比较了PMSG hCG和FSH hCG两种方案以及PMSG的不同剂量和注射方式对家猫的超排效果的影响。用 1 0 0IU的PMSG超排家猫所得到的排卵点数及平均每只猫获得的卵数显著低于 2 0 0IU处理组或 30 0IU处理组 (P <0 0 5 ) ,但 2 0 0IU处理组与 30 0IU处理组之间的超排效果也无显著差异 (P >0 0 5 ) ;用皮下注射 2 0 0IU的PMSG或用肌肉注射 2 0 0IU的PMSG对超排效果无差异 (P >0 0 5 ) ;用 2 0 0IUPMSG 2 0 0IUhCG和 1 5mgFSH 2 0 0IUhCG两种方案对家猫超排 ,发现不论是每只猫的排卵点数、卵子获得数 ,还是卵子的第一极体排放率都没有显著差异 (P >0 0 5 )。实验说明 ,PMSG的注射方式不影响对家猫的超排效果 ,用 2 0 0IU的PMSG超排家猫是较适合的剂量 ,FSH和PMSG都可用于家猫的超排 ,但PMSG使用更为方便。     

Peering into the Dynamics of Social Interactions: Measuring Play Fighting in Rats

Play fighting in the rat involves attack and defense of the nape of the neck, which if contacted, is gently nuzzled with the snout. Because the movements of one animal are countered by the actions of its partner, play fighting is a complex, dynamic interaction. This dynamic complexity raises methodological problems about what to score for experimental studies. We present a scoring schema that is sensitive to the correlated nature of the actions performed. The frequency of play fighting can be measured by counting the number of playful nape attacks occurring per unit time. However, playful defense, as it can only occur in response to attack, is necessarily a contingent measure that is best measured as a percentage (#attacks defended/total # attacks X 100%). How a particular attack is defended against can involve one of several tactics, and these are contingent on defense having taken place; consequently, the type of defense is also best expressed contingently as a percentage. Two experiments illustrate how these measurements can be used to detect the effect of brain damage on play fighting even when there is no effect on overall playfulness. That is, the schema presented here is designed to detect and evaluate changes in the content of play following an experimental treatment.     

Molecular Phylogeny of Mitochondrial Cytochrome b and 12S rRNA Sequences in the Felidae: Ocelot and Domestic Cat Lineages

Molecular phylogeny of the cat family Felidae is derived using two mitochondrial genes, cytochrome b and 12S rRNA. Phylogenetic methods of weighted maximum parsimony and minimum evolution estimated by neighbor-joining are employed to reconstruct topologies among 20 extant felid species. Sequence analyses of 363 bp of cytochrome b and 376 bp of the 12S rRNA genes yielded average pair-wise similarity values between felids ranging from 94 to 99% and from 85 to 99%, respectively. Phylogenetic reconstruction supports more recent, intralineage associations but fails to completely resolve interlineage relationships. Both genes produce a monophyletic group ofFelisspecies but vary in the placement of the pallas cat. The ocelot lineage represents an early divergence within the Felidae, with strong associations between ocelot and margay, Geoffroy's cat and kodkod, and pampas cat and tigrina. Implications of the relative recency of felid evolution, presence of ancestral polymorphisms, and influence of outgroups in placement of the topological root are discussed.     

Behavior of Juvenile Yellow-bellied Marmots: Play and Social Integration

This study is a quantitative examination of the behavior of juvenile yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris), especially play, and an attempt to relate play to the social and population biology of marmots. An hypothesis of adaptive fine-tuning (social integration) of individual behavioral traits through play is advanced. While the data do not directly support social integration as a function of play, the results are a sine qua non of this hypothesis.     

Defining and Mapping Mammalian Coat Pattern Genes: Multiple Genomic Regions Implicated in Domestic Cat Stripes and Spots

Mammalian coat patterns (e.g., spots, stripes) are hypothesized to play important roles in camouflage and other relevant processes, yet the genetic and developmental bases for these phenotypes are completely unknown. The domestic cat, with its diversity of coat patterns, is an excellent model organism to investigate these phenomena. We have established three independent pedigrees to map the four recognized pattern variants classically considered to be specified by a single locus, Tabby; in order of dominance, these are the unpatterned agouti form called “Abyssinian” or “ticked” (T^a), followed by Spotted (T^s), Mackerel (T^M), and Blotched (t^b). We demonstrate that at least three different loci control the coat markings of the domestic cat. One locus, responsible for the Abyssinian form (herein termed the Ticked locus), maps to an ∼3.8-Mb region on cat chromosome B1. A second locus controls the Tabby alleles T^M and t^b, and maps to an ∼5-Mb genomic region on cat chromosome A1. One or more additional loci act as modifiers and create a spotted coat by altering mackerel stripes. On the basis of our results and associated observations, we hypothesize that mammalian patterned coats are formed by two distinct processes: a spatially oriented developmental mechanism that lays down a species-specific pattern of skin cell differentiation and a pigmentation-oriented mechanism that uses information from the preestablished pattern to regulate the synthesis of melanin profiles.PATTERNED coats are typical of many mammalian groups, whose spots, stripes, and other markings have been hypothesized to play important adaptive roles in camouflage, predator evasion, and social communication (Cott 1940; Searle 1968; Ortolani and Caro 1996). Many mammals bear striped or spotted coats, and these phenotypes have historically drawn attention from many fields of human science and culture (e.g., the leopard''s spots, or the stripes seen in tigers and zebras). Although several theoretical studies have proposed mathematical models that could underlie the developmental dynamics of coat pattern formation in mammals (Murray and Oster 1984; Oyehaug et al. 2002), no direct investigation of the genetic basis of these phenotypes has yet been performed, so that their mechanistic causes remain a mystery. Recent advances in genomics, molecular biology, and evolutionary developmental biology (Evo-Devo) have revealed genes and pathways involved in skin pattern formation in Drosophila (Schug et al. 1998; Gompel et al. 2005; Prud''homme et al. 2006; Parchem et al. 2007), butterflies (Joron et al. 2006a,b), and zebrafish (Iwashita et al. 2006; Watanabe et al. 2006; Svetic et al. 2007). In contrast, despite the relevance of characterizing equivalent processes in mammals, little progress toward this goal has been accomplished, perhaps due to the lack of adequate mammalian models exhibiting variation in skin pattern and for which genetic and genomic tools were available.The domestic cat is a very promising model in this regard, as it presents several coat pattern variants and a growing body of genetic and genomic tools suitable for gene identification (Menotti-Raymond et al. 2003; Murphy et al. 2007; Pontius et al. 2007; Pontius and O''Brien 2007; Davis et al. 2009). Classic work on domestic cat coat color (Robinson 1958; Lomax and Robinson 1988) has suggested that there is a monogenic allelic series of coat patterns in the domestic cat, controlled by the Tabby (T) locus: in order of dominance, the four recognized alleles would be Abyssinian or “ticked” (T^a), Spotted (T^s), Mackerel (T^M), and Blotched (t^b) (Figure 1). Although there has been little doubt among breeders that the “mackerel” and “blotched” forms segregate as a single autosomal locus, this may not be the case for the other two phenotypes (T^a and T^s), which so far have not been tested thoroughly for allelism relative to the more common Tabby variants T^M and t^b. Some breeding data have suggested that these variants may not be allelic with the main Tabby locus (Lorimer 1995), but further scrutiny is required to test this hypothesis. A recent genetic study (Lyons et al. 2006) considered the Abyssinian variant as an allele of Tabby, reflecting the prevalent perception that they are coded by the same locus. Testing this hypothesis, and identifying the implicated genomic region (or regions), is a first step in the process of dissecting the molecular and developmental basis for these pattern-formation phenotypes.Open in a separate windowFigure 1.—Major coat pattern phenotypes of the domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus). A “hierarchy” of pelage patterns is observed in this species, with the absence of markings seen in Abyssinian cats (A) dominating over a spotted coat (B), which dominates over a “mackerel” (striped) coat (C), itself dominant over the blotched pattern (D). The classical, single-locus model for this phenotypic variation proposed the allelic series T^a > T^s > T^M > t^b for these respective variants.Aiming to investigate the genetic basis of pattern formation on the domestic cat pelage by genomic, positional methods, we established three separate pedigrees segregating for different combinations of coat pattern phenotypes. Our results demonstrate that at least three different loci underlie the striping and spotting patterns observed in domestic cats and identify the genomic location of two of them.