Domestic cats have been shown to form secure attachment bonds with humans, allowing them to use their owners as a secure base and giving them comfort and confidence when exploring an unfamiliar environment. Many cat owners believe that cohabitation with other cats is beneficial for their pets, and that cohabitant...
It has been demonstrated that dogs form attachment bonds to their owners and that these attachments can be classified and described in ways that are analogous to attachments found between human infants and their mothers. While a secure attachment to a parent has been shown to improve problem-solving abilities in...
Approximately one in six children in the United States has a developmental disability (CDC, 2018). Among a wide variety of interventions that have been developed to support the health, wellbeing, and development of youth with disabilities, Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI) have become increasingly prevalent. Some AAI involve youth participating with their...
Although it is widely accepted that dogs and humans form attachment relationships, characterizing attachment styles in dogs has only recently received attention in the literature. Previous research has shown that pet dogs display patterns of behavior in an attachment test that can be classified into secure and insecure attachment styles,...
The domestic dog is one of the most popular pets in the world, and many pet owners consider their pets to be members of their family. Studies have suggested that dogs behave like pseudo-children in many contexts. Despite this, there is very little research on how dog owners may behave...
Heightened cortisol levels are a typical physiological response to stress. The many responsibilities of animal shelter workers can lead to increased stress levels and negative effects on their job satisfaction and overall wellness. As a result, workers are subject to burnout and compassion fatigue. While working in shelter environments may...
Domesticated cats frequently use their sense of smell to navigate their environment, convey social cues, and communicate with other individuals. In applied contexts, cat owners are often encouraged to leave items holding their scent with their cat in periods of absence with the aim of reducing stress. The purpose of...
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of intranasally administered oxytocin on the sociability of adult, neutered, male and female shelter cats, as measured by proximity-seeking behavior and meow vocalizations. Two local Humane Societies were sampled in this study. The shelter cats were randomly assigned to one...
The domestic cat is one of the world’s most popular companion animals. However, to date much remains to be learned about cat behavior and the cat-human relationship. To examine the influence of proximate factors on cat behavior and the human-cat bond, three studies were undertaken. Study 1 directly measured the...
The aim of this study was to evaluate the different attachment profiles that characterize shelter dog-shelter volunteer and foster dog-foster volunteer relationships and to assess the proportion of insecure and secure attachment styles within foster, shelter, and pet dog populations. Foster dog-foster volunteer, shelter dog-shelter volunteer, and pet dog-owner pairs...