imes, they would tilt their heads to one sidewhile chewing. This behavior looked almost like half of a head shake. DiscussionBased on the results, one could assume that head shaking behavior is bothgenetically and environmentally determined. Since the feral cats exhibited the behaviormore often, it is possible that it is reinforced though experience with killing prey. Theindoor cats had very little opportunity to hunt anything, so they were not reinforced. Thefact that the behavior is still observed in the indoor cats suggests that it is at least partiallycontrolled by genetic factors. The results of the study by Hutchinson and Renfrew (1966)also suggest a biological basis for some of the stalking behavior observed in domestic cats. Although the hypothesis was supported, this study had many shortcomings. Firstof all, the feeding times and food choices of the cats could not be manipulated. The feralcats and house cats were not always fed the same types of food. Canned cat food was fedin greater quantities to the feral cats. Dry cat food was available to the indoor cats mostof the time throughout the day. On some days the indoor cats did not receive any cannedcat food at all. All the cats food intake was regulated by someone other than theexperimenter. In most instances, the indoor cats received canned food only when theymade vocal appeals to their caretaker. Another potential problem with the experiment was that the feral cats wereobserved for longer periods of time than the indoor cats. The indoor cats did not have aspecific time when they were fed. This made observations difficult. It is possible that theindoor cats may have exhibited more instances of the head shaking behavior when theywere not being observed. The indoor cats were aware that they were being observedduring most of the time they were being observed. It was nearly impossible to observe theindoor cats in an unobtrusive way. However, the feral cats w...
