- 學位論文
貓臉部費洛蒙對收容所內之貓隻行為的影響
Effects of feline facial pheromone on behavior of cats in an animal shelter
摘要
隨著全球動物福利的意識高漲，對於小動物臨床獸醫師而言，所要關心的問題已不只是動物生理上疾病，對於伴侶動物行為方面的專業知識，已經和生理性的疾病一樣重要了。近幾年動物行為學開始萌芽、發展，相關的臨床治療方式也一一出現。而使用藥物治療伴侶動物行為問題仍是最後手段。雖然如此，仍有許多畜主因為不了解動物的行為因而遺棄寵物，根據調查，在北美的收容所中只有16％的動物會被主人領回，25％過繼到其他家庭，而有超過52％最後是安樂死，但這些動物不全然是因為走失才進入收容所，大多數是因為無法被忍受的行為問題遭到主人遺棄。 貓臉部費洛蒙（Feline Facial pheromone，FFP）是一種當貓對於牠們所處的環境感到舒適時，藉由臉部摩擦所釋放的物質。FFP是由一群易揮發的脂肪酸所構成。FFP現在已有人工合成且商品化的製劑在市面上販售。商品化的FFP有兩種：F3和F4（皆為FFP的成分之一）。根據研究，F3可以增進食慾，以及改善貓的噴尿行為。一般在居家飼養的貓常因為噴尿的問題而遭送養或是遺棄，雖然噴尿是一種未絕育公貓的正常行為，但是仍有10％的已結紮成貓會有噴尿的情況。F4則是可降低貓的攻擊行為。現在亦有用電加熱揮發FFP的裝置可供使用。 本研究第一個部分的實驗是利用行為觀察的方式，以及測定尿中Cortisol與Creatinine之比值來進行收容所內緊迫的評估。在第一部分的實驗中發現，隨時收容時間的增加，並沒有辦法降低收容貓隻的緊迫狀態。第二個部分的實驗是對於收容貓隻使用F3處理，並且觀察其行為與生理的變化。本研究發現經由F3處理之後，其與人互動之行為雖無明顯變化，但是於緊迫行為評分、生理數值的部分比之於對照組則有顯著的降低（P<0.05），此顯示，對於收容貓隻而言，F3具有降低緊迫的效用。
並列摘要
All the molecules secreted by the glands which secret chemical signals, some seem to transmit highly specific information between animals of the same species: the pheromones. Carnivora are identified as the mammalian species that have the most developed and varied types of pheromone-secreting glands, including cats and dogs. For the last 15 years, the functions of some pheromones in dogs and cats have been elucidated, and synthetic analogues of some of these are beginning to be used as a therapeutic approach in behavioral medicine. In the cat, five different facial pheromones named F1 to F5 have been isolated from the sebaceous secretions of the cheeks. At the present, the functions of three of them (F2, F3, and F4) have been identified. Feline facial pheromone is used to treat some behavior problems, including urine marking and scratching. The observation of the behavior of F3-treated cats shows not only a decrease in the unacceptable marking behavior but an improvement in feeding, scanning, and playing. It emphasizes that the positive effects of F3 in treating spraying are not only linked to the antagonism between facial and urine marking but also are related to a decrease in anxiety. F4 helps the resident cat to accept a newcomer, and it reduces the risk of aggression caused by handling. Confinement in an animal shelter is an extremely stressful experience for cats. Most cats become adjusted to a shelter environment within 2 to 5 weeks, but some never to confinement and remain distressed for months. We used synthetic analogue of FFP to cats in an animal shelter, and obverse the change of behavior. In our study, we selected adult cats (older than 6 months) in the animal shelter randomly. Assess the stress levels among cats by behavior observation and measurement of urine cortisol-creatinine ratio (UCCR) every 5 days. In second part of our study, we selected adult cats (older than 6 months) and treated them with analogue of F3 and placebo. We observed the behavior of cats and measured UCCR to evaluate the change of treatment. In the first part of the experiment, the behavior and UCCR were not significantly changed (P > 0.05 ) during the experiment period. In the second part of the experiment, it was significant difference on behavior (P<0.05) was observed between those treated with F3 and placebo, the UCCR of the former was significantly lower than that of the latter (P < 0.05).