Catcalls: exotic cats discriminate the voices of familiar caregivers

BACKGROUND: The ability to differentiate familiar from unfamiliar humans has been considered a product of domestication or early experience. Few studies have focused on voice recognition in Felidae despite the fact that this family presents the rare opportunity to compare domesticated species to their wild counterparts and to examine the role of human rearing. METHODS: […]

Investigating the effect of social grouping on the behaviour of captive leopards

Big cats are both popular and well represented in zoological collections worldwide, and there is considerable interest in evidence-based studies to develop best practice husbandry guidelines. The majority of big cat species, including the leopard Panthera pardus are typically solitary in the wild, whereas in zoos they are sometimes maintained as pairs or larger groups. […]

A retrospective study of mortality in Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in UK zoos

IUCN currently classifies the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) as “Least Concern,” however, across its six to nine subspecies, some isolated populations are classified as “Endangered” or “Critically Endangered.” Despite this and the species’ relative ubiquity in European zoos, a retrospective mortality study of a captive population has not previously been performed. By analyzing necropsy reports, […]

North American Felid Taxon Advisory Group (TAG): 2006 Annual Report

Influence of feeding raw or extruded feline diets on nutrient digestibility and nitrogen metabolism of African wildcats (Felis lybica)

Abstract The African wildcat is one of the closest ancestors to the domestic cat and is believed to have similar nutrient requirements, but research is lacking. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of feeding a high-protein extruded kibble diet vs. a raw meat diet on nutrient digestibility, nitrogen metabolism, and blood […]

Carnivorous mammals: nutrient digestibility and energy evaluation

Abstract Estimating the energy content is the first step in diet formulation, as it determines the amount of food eaten and hence the concentration of nutrients required to meet the animal’s requirements. Additionally, being able to estimate the energy content of a diet empirically known to maintain body condition in an animal will facilitate an […]

Assessing reproductive cycles and pregnancy in cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) by vaginal cytology

Abstract 10.1002/zoo.1430110303.abs Vaginal cytology was used to monitor ovarian cycles, two pregnancies, and three pseudopregnancies. Vaginal smears were collected two or three times per week from three adult females; smears plus blood samples were collected once per week from a fourth, adolescent female. Mean cycle lengths, based on intervals between onset of leukocyte infusions, were […]

Evaluation of two milk replacers fed to hand-reared cheetah cubs (Acinonyx jubatus): nutrient composition, apparent total tract digestibility, and comparison to maternal cheetah milk

Abstract Commercially prepared milk replacers are frequently used to provide the sole source of nutrition for hand-reared cheetah cubs (Acinonyx jubatus). The nutrient composition of two commonly used milk replacers was determined. Using titanium dioxide as an indigestible marker, nutrient digestibility was calculated from the analyses of fecal samples collected from each cub (n = […]

Personality in felids: A review

Although there has been an increase in felid personality research, much more work is needed, with only 20 published studies, 17 of which focused on the domestic cat. Most studies show important implications for this type of research, but there is no consensus on terminology, method, or conclusions for felids, even at the species level. […]

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