Cats in a Cat Cafe: Individual Cat Behavior and Interactions with Humans.

ABSTRACT: Cat cafés are gaining popularity worldwide, yet little is known about their impact on feline welfare. This study examined a Swedish cat café from an animal perspective by assessing space use, cat-cat interactions, and cat-human interactions. A total of 27 neutered domestic cats (12 males, 15 females), with a median stay of 8 weeks, were directly observed in groups of 8-9 individuals for a total of 227 h over 70 days. Scan sampling and focal observations were conducted without prior knowledge of cat background to minimize bias. Results showed that elevated structures (χ²-goodness-of-fit test, χ² (2) = 1234.2, p < 0.001, post hoc Bonferroni correction p_adj = 0.013) were important, particularly during periods of high customer occupancy, when cats

SUBMITTER: Hirsch EN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12649627 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature