Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35722998›Full record

ArticleJournal of feline medicine and surgery2022

Behavior and adoptability of hoarded cats admitted to an animal shelter.

Linda S Jacobson, Jacklyn J Ellis, Kyrsten J Janke, Jolene A Giacinti, Jyothi V Robertson

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of feline medicine and surgery, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
1.3field-weighted citation impact, top 18% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Linda S JacobsonToronto Humane Society, Toronto, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-9704-8737
Jacklyn J EllisToronto Humane Society, Toronto, Canada.
Kyrsten J JankeToronto Humane Society, Toronto, Canada.
Jolene A GiacintiOntario Veterinary College, Guelph, Canada.
Jyothi V RobertsonJVR Shelter Strategies, Belmont, CA, USA.
Wildlife Conservation Society Canada · CAOntario Veterinary College

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesThe aim of this study was to analyze the behavioral characteristics and success of adoption for previously hoarded cats.

methodsShelter records and post-adoption surveys were analyzed for hoarded cats ⩾6 months old at intake. A non-standard scoring system was used. Intake scores were allocated contemporaneously and socialization scores were applied retrospectively for three time points (TPs): 5-10 days post-intake (shelter TP), ⩽1 week post-adoption (home TP1) and >1 week post-adoption (home TP2). Adoption returns were compared between hoarded and non-hoarded cats.

resultsThe study included 195 hoarded cats, of which 174 were adopted. Of 164 cats with intake scores, 86 (52%) were scored as 'friendly' at intake. Forty-five cats had socialization scores for all of the TPs, and of these, the percentages of 'supersocial' or 'social' decreased from 87% at the shelter TP to 47% at home TP1, then increased to 84% at home TP2. Most cats that scored as 'tense' at intake had supersocial or social scores at home TP2. Nine of the 88 cats with survey results had out-of-box (OOB) elimination in either the shelter or home but only 1/88 in both. Adopters expressed positive feelings for 42/43 cats for which feelings-based language was used in their survey responses. Notable behaviors, such as neediness, were recorded for 48/88 cats. Relationships with other household pets were typically positive. Eighteen of 174 hoarded (10%) and 188/2662 non-hoarded (7.1%) cats were returned post-adoption. Of these, six hoarded and 87 non-hoarded returns included behavioral reasons. There were no significant differences between hoarded and non-hoarded cats for total or behavioral returns. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Hoarded cats had high adoption rates, high adopter satisfaction and the potential for good emotional well-being in adoptive homes. Behavior at intake and OOB elimination in the shelter may not reflect post-adoption behavior. Behavior-based outcome decisions for these vulnerable animals should be deferred to allow time for habituation.

Indexed as

Animal WelfareHoardingAnimalsBehavior, AnimalCatsRetrospective StudiesSurveys and Questionnairesadoptabilityadoption returnAnimal hoardingbehaviorfood anxietyshelter

Identifiers

PMID35722998
PMCPMC9315195
OpenAlexW4283162678

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.