A Ray of Hope

Abstract

Cats that are adopted quickly tend to cope well in the shelter environment, showing affiliative, engaging behaviors at the front of the kennel toward potential adopters. Cats that do not cope well may hide in the back of the kennel or if provided, in a hide box, and tend to have longer stays in the shelter.

Cats are naturally nocturnal and are approximately 7 times more sensitive to light than the human eye. Furthermore, color vision is primarily limited to green and blue colors; in all, cats may not cope well with shelter conditions because the ambient lighting is too intense for comfort. The ultimate aim of this project is to identify a preferred light condition that decreases stress and ultimately, improves adoptability. Three light conditions will be compared: 200-400 lux white light (control; typical shelter light condition), 50-100 lux white light, and 200-400 lux red light. Each cat enrolled in the study will be assessed individually in their respective kennels during the three changes of lighting conditions for signs of discomfort; behavioral stress scores, urinary cortisol and activity via accelerometers will be collected. We hypothesize cats will respond favorably to dim and red-light conditions through increased activity and decreased behavioral and physiological signs of stress in comparison to the 200-400 lux white light condition. Data collection is ongoing through the spring 2021 semester.