Kris Hill from the Society for Companion Animal Studies (SCAS) shares some feline highlights from the International Society of Anthrozoology (ISAZ) 2024 Conference.

What is Anthrozoology?

Anthrozoology is the academic study of human interactions with other animals (including cats!).

The annual International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ) Conference was hosted this year (27-30 June 2024) by Hartpury University in Gloucestershire, UK.

The conference programme included varied and insightful presentations from scholars and professionals from around the world who are working in the field of human-animal studies. And although the field is much broader, companion animals, including cats, were central to many themes and talks. Several SCAS members were in attendance, and presenting research funded by SCAS or related to our mission and core aims.

We also had a stand to share our resources and encourage new members to join (see here for more information about SCAS membership, including reduced rates for students).

Left to right: Kris Hill, Vangelis Diamantakos, Liz Ormerod (SCAS Chair), and Christel Moons

Research into Cat-Human Relationships

Several presentations focused primarily on cats and cat-human relations. These included studies on 1) cat behaviours, 2) cat welfare, 3) human attitudes to predation by cats, and 4) the clinical and social benefits of the cat-human bond.

1. Cat behaviour

Dr. James Serpell from University of Pennsylvania, USA, presented research findings from a project that studied fetching behaviours in cats: Prevalence and Characteristics of Fetching Behavior in Owned Domestic Cats (Felis Catus).

Photo taken by author

2. Cat welfare

Dr Allison Andrukonis from Virginia Tech, USA, presented research into the efficacy of potential measures that can be implemented to reduce stress in shelter cats (reduced urination is a sign of stress): The Effect of Extra Space and Gentling on Urine Output in Shelter Cats.

Photo taken by author

3. Human attitudes to cat behaviours

Megan Barker from Merrist Wood University Centre, UK, shared findings from their research on the attitudes and willingness of UK cat owners to implement measures that might reduce the impact of wildlife predation by their cats: Bells, Bibs, and Beyond: Investigating Factors that Influence UK Cat Owners’ Willingness to Mitigate Wildlife Predation.

Photo taken by author

4. Clinical and social benefits to humans

Héloïse Vesque-Annear from the Catholic University of Lille, France, presented research on the benefits resident cats conferred on older adults with dementia: Effect of “Resident Cats” on the Health and Social Network of Older Adults With Alzheimer’s or Disabilities in Nursing Homes.

Photo taken by author

A key aim of SCAS is to raise awareness of the importance of protecting the human-animal bond. This is especially so when it comes to older persons entering care facilities, as illustrated by the story of Edith and her cat Freddie.

Do you know of a care home (anywhere in the world) that has gone above and beyond to help keep an older person and their beloved cat together? If so, please consider nominating them for the Bob Harvey Award to recognise and celebrate their good work.

Other research that might benefit cats and their humans!

Many talks engaged with research related to companion animals, including cats. For example, Animal Hoarding Disorder is a mental illness that has devastating effects on the humans affected, their communities, and causes immense animal suffering. A wealth of research is being conducted on the human-companion animal (pet) bond and the role of pets in human health and wellbeing. A keynote presentation by Prof. Hal Herzog discussed the science surrounding the so-called ‘Pet effect’ and Prof. Aubrey Fine’s lecture discussed the role of animals in child psychology and counselling.

Animal-assisted services (AAS) involves companion animal species being used in therapeutic or learning contexts, and research in this area also looks at the welfare and wellbeing of the animals involved in these activities.

On the final day of the conference, SCAS held a workshop on the ‘SCAS Code of Practice: Moving Towards a UK Consensus for Minimum Standards in Animal Assisted Interventions.’

The SCAS code of practice is a living document that aims to serve as a gold standard for best practices that protect both humans and animals involved in Animal Assisted Services (AAS) (formerly referred to as Animal Assisted Interventions, AAI).

Photo by author

An update on the status of the revised SCAS Code of Practice will be presented at the Annual SCAS Conference on Sunday 20 October 2024. The SCAS Conference (Online) brings together practitioners and researchers to help shape the future of safe and compassionate Animal Assistance Services (AAS) through interdisciplinary innovation. Register here to join.

More cat scientist needed!

It was disappointing that there were no applicants for the ISAZ Penny L. Bernstein Human-Cat Interaction Student Travel Award this year. The award is given in honour of the late Dr Bernstein, an anthrozoologist and animal behaviourist, whose primary interest was in relationships with domestic cats. Hopefully in 2025 there will be more students presenting research focused on cats!

Interested in a career studying cat behaviour or cat-human relations?

There were so many interesting talks and so much to take in, so I apologise for anything I missed! If you look at the profiles of presenters at the ISAZ conference, you may notice they are trained in a wide range of disciplines, including psychology, animal behaviour, anthropology, and sociology, all of which can contribute to our understanding of cats and the cat-human bond.

However, research into cat behaviour and cat-human relationships has a lot of catching up to do, with many more studies on dog behaviour and dog-human relationships.

World-renowned cat behaviourist, Dr. Dennis Turner, has reflected on the questions that remain unanswered. This is well worth a read for anyone interested in cats, but especially students considering making a career out of studying cats (rather than just studying with cats).

In an article recently published in Vet Record, SCAS member Dr. Sandra McCune shares how her career developed from a shelter volunteer to veterinary nursing to becoming a leading researcher in the field of human-animal interactions. Much of Sandra’s academic career has been focused on understanding and helping our feline friends.

For anyone considering studying anthrozoology, there are a growing number of universities and colleges around the world offering courses in Anthrozoology and related subjects.

Pexel

Follow us on FB and Twitter (@SCASuk), and be sure to retweet posts from us and our partners on #PetsInHousing

SCAS is the UK’s leading human-companion animal bond organisation through funding research, providing education, raising awareness, encouraging best practice, and influencing the development of policies and practices that support the human-companion animal bond. For more details check out our website at www.scas.org.uk

Kris Hill from the Society for Companion Animal Studies (SCAS) shares some feline highlights from the International Society of Anthrozoology (ISAZ) 2024 Conference.