Читать книгу Animal Behavior for Shelter Veterinarians and Staff - Группа авторов - Страница 58

Comparative genetics studies have revealed the domestic cat varies from wildcats at 13 chromosomal loci, many of which code for genes related to neurodevelopment or neurotransmitters known to affect various emotional or motivational states, perhaps revealing the genetic basis for tameness (Montague et al. 2014). Humans have a long history of enhancing certain traits through genetic selection, and this is most evident in the domestic dog, the species with the greatest morphologic diversity on earth. Humans have a much shorter history of selectively breeding domestic cats, and the primary objective has been advancement of desired physical, not functional, traits. Nevertheless, consistent breed predispositions for certain behavioral characteristics seem to exist. Several observational and survey studies have identified differences among purebred cats in terms of aggression, propensity to elimination outside the litterbox, playfulness, shyness, and activity level (Mendl and Harcourt 2000; Wilhelmy et al. 2016; Salonen et al. 2019). Many people believe that coat color and certain personality traits are linked. For example, calico or tortoiseshell color cats are often thought to be more aggressive and anxious (Stelow et al. 2015). While the owner‐queried survey results of Stelow et al. (2015) did indicate some minor increases in aggressive behavior within sex‐linked orange color cats, Wilhelmy et al. (2016) found that differences in behavior among purebred cat coat colors were largely explained by breed alone.

Cat personalities seem to be stable and vary along several dimensions of confidence, nervousness, sociability, and activity (Lowe and Bradshaw 2001; Karsten et al. 2017; Litchfield et al. 2017). Personality, like most behavioral phenotypes, is a confluence of environmental and genetic influences. Kittens sired by males with outgoing and friendly personalities were found to show more approach and affiliative behaviors to people, be less stressed by the approach of unfamiliar people, and be more likely to spend time near a novel object (McCune 1995; Reisner et al. 1994). However, handling and socialization provided a protective effect against some fearful and defensive behaviors. Friendly sired but unsocialized kittens behaved in a similar manner to unfriendly sired socialized kittens (McCune 1995).