Measuring paw preferences in dogs, cats and rats: Design requirements and innovations in methodology.

Studying behavioural lateralization in animals holds great potential for answering important questions in laterality research and clinical neuroscience. However, comparative research encounters challenges in reliability and validity, requiring new approaches and innovative designs to overcome. Although validated tests exist for some species, there is yet no standard test to compare lateralized manual behaviours between individuals, populations, and animal species. One of the main reasons is that different fine-motor abilities and postures must be considered for each species. Given that pawedness/handedness is a universal marker for behavioural lateralization across species, this article focuses on three commonly investigated species in laterality research: dogs, cats, and rats. We will present six apparatuses (two for dogs, three for cats, and one for rats) that enable an accurate assessment of paw preference. Design requirements and specifications such as zoometric fit for different body sizes and ages, reliability, robustness of the material, maintenance during and after testing, and animal welfare are extremely important when designing a new apparatus. Given that the study of behavioural lateralization yields crucial insights into animal welfare, laterality research, and clinical neuroscience, we aim to provide a solution to these challenges by presenting design requirements and innovations in methodology across species.

Efficacy of the Feliway® Classic Diffuser in reducing undesirable scratching in cats: A randomised, triple-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Scratching the environment is a natural behaviour that cats use for communication and physical maintenance purposes, however when it is carried out on household furniture it is considered unacceptable for some owners and even grounds for relinquishment of cats. The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of FELIWAY® Classic Diffuser in reducing undesirable scratching (scratching vertical surfaces indoors other than the scratching post) in cats. A 28 day, randomised, triple-blind, placebo-controlled study with a total of 1060 caregiver-cat dyads was conducted. The study contained two groups: the Pheromone Group consisted of caregivers who were given a pheromone diffuser (n = 546) and the Placebo Group consisted of caregivers who were given a placebo diffuser (n = 514). A questionnaire with three subsections was distributed online. The first section, completed by the respondents at day 0, inquired about the cats' daily routines, social and physical environments, behaviour, temperament, and emotional states. The second section filled on day 0, 7, 14, and 28, assessed the Frequency and the Intensity of the undesirable scratching problem and the effectiveness of the product. The last section, filled on the 28th day of the product application, related to the caregivers' opinions about the product and overall outcome. After 28 days the scratching Frequency reduced for 83.5% of the cats in the Pheromone Group and 68.5% for the Placebo Group (p<0.0001). The Intensity was significantly different between treatment groups at D7 (p = 0.0170), at D14 (p = 0.0189) and at D28 (p<0.001). The reduction of the Global Index Score, which was calculated by multiplying the Intensity with the Frequency, was significantly higher for the Pheromone Group (p<0.001). This study provides direct evidence that the use of FELIWAY® Classic diffuser significantly reduces the Frequency, Intensity and the Global Index Score of undesirable scratching.

Acute and chronic stress alter behavioral laterality in dogs.

Dogs are one of the key animal species in investigating the biological mechanisms of behavioral laterality. Cerebral asymmetries are assumed to be influenced by stress, but this subject has not yet been studied in dogs. This study aims to investigate the effect of stress on laterality in dogs by using two different motor laterality tests: the Kong™ Test and a Food-Reaching Test (FRT). Motor laterality of chronically stressed (n = 28) and emotionally/physically healthy dogs (n = 32) were determined in two different environments, i.e., a home environment and a stressful open field test (OFT) environment. Physiological parameters including salivary cortisol, respiratory rate, and heart rate were measured for each dog, under both conditions. Cortisol results showed that acute stress induction by OFT was successful. A shift towards ambilaterality was detected in dogs after acute stress. Results also showed a significantly lower absolute laterality index in the chronically stressed dogs. Moreover, the direction of the first paw used in FRT was a good predictor of the general paw preference of an animal. Overall, these results provide evidence that both acute and chronic stress exposure can change behavioral asymmetries in dogs.

The relationship between problem-solving ability and laterality in cats.

The association between hemispheric asymmetries and cognitive ability is one of the key areas of comparative laterality research. In several animal species, individual limb preferences correlate with perceptual, cognitive, or motor abilities, possibly by increasing dexterity of one limb and minimizing response conflicts between hemispheres. Despite this wealth of research, the association between laterality and cognitive abilities in the cat (Felis catus) is not well understood. Therefore, it was the aim of the present study to investigate the relationship between laterality and problem-solving ability in cats. To this end, strength and direction of paw preferences in 41 cats were measured using two novel food reaching tasks in which the animals needed to open a lid in order to reach the food reward. We found that cats that showed a clear preference for one paw were able to open more lids succesfully than ambilateral animals. Moreover, cats that preferred to interact with the test apparatus with their paw from the beginning, opened more lids than cats the first tried to interact with the test apparatus using their heads. Results also suggested a predictive validity of the first paw usage for general paw usage. It was also shown that the cats' individual paw preferences were stable and task-independent. These results yield further support to the idea that lateralization may enhance cognitive abilities.

Functional cerebral asymmetry in dogs living under different environmental conditions.

Investigating the link between stress and functional cerebral asymmetry (FCA) has been a subject of interest in recent years. The demonstration of this link in the field of veterinary medicine is particularly important as measuring FCA has the potential to be an alternative and non-invasive behavioral method to assess stress in dogs. The present study aimed to investigate whether FCA is affected by different environmental conditions in dogs. The main aim of this study was to investigate the changes in FCA in dogs living under different conditions. To this aim, strength and direction of FCA in 40 urban free-ranging dogs were measured by a Kong test. Dogs were divided into four groups considering their environmental conditions: The dogs in Group 1 (n = 8) were rehabilitated urban free ranging dogs, which were kept in enriched shelter conditions. The dogs in Group 2 (n = 9) were adopted free ranging dogs, which lived in home environment for more than 1 year. The dogs in Group 3 (n = 11) were urban free ranging dogs, which stayed in individual cages in a dog shelter for more than 6 months. The dogs in Group 4 (n = 12) were adopted urban free ranging dogs, which stayed in a dog pension for more than 30 days. Considering the length of their stay in a kennel environment, quality of living condition and emotional states, the dogs in Group 3 and 4 were classified as chronically stressed dogs. Statistically significant differences existed between groups considering strength and direction of lateralization. Most of the dogs in Group 1 (87.5 %) and Group 2 (77.8 %) showed significant paw preferences, whereas most of the dogs in the Group 3 (72.7 %) and Group 4 (75 %) were categorized as ambilateral. Considering the individual level asymmetry in dogs and environmental conditions of dogs in Group 3 and 4, one may suggest that high ambilaterality levels is related with chronic stress. Thus, reduced FCA may not be the reason for stress sensibility, rather it can be an outcome of stressful situations. These results are the first to demonstrate the possible link between chronic stress and ambilaterality in dogs.