h it is not necessary useful to the animal. If this behavior isgenetically determined and not learned, it should be present in both feral and domesticcats. Also, if this part of the behavior is reinforced by hunting and killing prey, it shouldbe observed to a greater degree in feral cats than in domestic, indoor cats.MethodThe subjects of the experiment were 4 domestic cats and 3 feral cats. The age ofthe cats was between 3 and 12 years of age. All four domestic cats were female. One ofthe feral cats was female. All of the cats included in the sample had been spayed orneutered. Living conditions of the cats varied. Three of the domestic cats lived indoors, anddid not ever go outside. One of the cats lived some of the time indoors and some of thetime outdoors. The three cats that were considered feral cats were placed in that categoryfor two main reasons. First, they lived exclusively outdoors. Second, they did not allowhumans to approach them at any time.. The other cats in the sample all allowed themselvesto be approached by and at times approached humans. The animals in this category are allconsidered to be pets, whereas the others are not. Some of the cats in the sample were genetically related to one another. Three ofthe cats in the sample are littermates. Of these three, two of them are indoor pets, and oneof them was categorized as a feral cat. The only male cat in the sample, one of the feralcats, had the same mother as these three, but was not from the same litter. The remainingcats in the sample are not related to one another, or to any of the other cats in the sample. All of the cats were offered store bought cat food. They were presented with achoice of either dry or canned food. The feral cats were fed at approximately 5:30 p.m.everyday. The indoor cats were presented with the same food choices, but were allowedto eat whenever they wished during the day. Circumstances beyond the experimenterscontrol fo...
