Comp/Lab Final

What is the species name of the domestic cat?

felis silvestris catus

what species was the domestic cat derived from?

felis silvestris

how old are the oldest fossils of modern cats?

3-5 million years old

where was the first fully domesticated cat probably from?

Egypt

What year was the first pictural representation of a domestic cat?

1950 BCE

what did the extinction of pagan gods lead to?

the spread of christianity

What effect did the extinction of pagan gods and the spread of Christianity have on the perception of cats?

cats went from essentially benevolent symbols of female fertility, sexuality, and motherhood to malevolent demons and agents of the Devil

What are modern cats classified as based on their digestive system?

obligate carnivores

Describe the modern cats socability

social towards conspecifics and people

Describe the modern cats sress

very high propensity to extreme stress in new situations

What is extremely important to the welfare of the modern cat?

the ability to escape

what is a feral cat?

- a term that has been used to describe a homeless cat that is not tame
- the term "feral" is also used to describe a particular behavior a cat expresses when it's not used to people or feels frightened
- not simply stray cats

True or false. Stray cats that are friendly are not feral.

True

what is a cat colony?

a group of free-roaming cats that live in close proximity to each other

where do free-roaming cats come from?

the source is endless

what is the species name of the domestic dog?

canis familiaris

where dogs or cats domesticated first?

dogs

what species is the domestic dog derived from?

canus lupus

Where were domesticated dogs found?

- Bonn-Oberkassel, 14,000 years BP
- Danger Cave in Utah, 11,000 years ago

What is one of the oldest breeds?

Saluki

What years was the Saluki breed traced back to?

7,000-6,000 years BP

During what periods were more dog breeds developed?

the Medieval and Renaissance periods

The domestic dog experienced strong \________ \____________ from humans

selective pressure

What are modern dogs classified as based on their digestive system?

omnivores

Describe sociability in the modern dog

highly social to conspecifics and humans

Describe stress in the modern dog

variable propensity to stress in new situations

What is extremely important to the welfare of modern dogs?

social interaction

What are some things to consider when determining a dog or cats age?

- energy level
- movement/gait
- teeth
- eyes
- coat/color

How accurate is aging young kittens and puppies by teeth eruption and eye/ear opening?

fairly precise

These age indicators are inaccurate for \___________ animals

older

Why are these age indicators inaccurate for older animals?

individual differences and differences in stress/hardship in life

What should be used to determine age for older animals?

convergence of them, not just one indicator

Brachycephalic skull

short, wide, round skull

What breeds have a brachycephalic skull?

bulldogs, boston terries, pugs, cavalier king charles spaniels

Mesaticephalic skull

medium skull

What breeds have a mesaticephalic skull?

laborador retrievers, german shepherds

Doliococephalic skull

long, narrow skull

What breeds have a doliococephalic skull?

greyhounds, salukis

At what age are differences in skulls apparent?

0-7 years old

Characteristics of puppies 0-2 weeks

toothless, eyes closed, ears closed, little coordinated movement, most of time rooting, suckling, sleeping

Characteristics of puppies 2-3 weeks

eyes open 2-3 weeks of age, no teeth present yet, beginning to explore more but still fairly uncoordinated, coordination increasing between 2-5 weeks

characteristics of puppies 3-6 weeks

deciduous (baby) teeth begin to erupt

When do deciduous canines erupt in puppies?

3-5 weeks

When do deciduous incisors erupt in puppies?

4-6 weeks

When do deciduous premolars erupt in puppies?

5-6 weeks

When do deciduous molars erupt in puppies?

no deciduous molars

characteristics of puppies 6-8 weeks

deciduous teeth eruption complete, more mobile and coordinated

characteristics of puppies 8-12 weeks

- all deciduous teeth have fully erupted
- space between teeth increases as muzzle grows, especially in non-brachycephalic dogs
- as dog grows, will appear too small in muzzle

characteristics of puppies 12-24 weeks

- deciduous teeth begin to be lost (exfoliated) and roots reabsorbed
- permanent teeth erupt and replace deciduous

when do permanent incisors erupt?

12-16 weeks

when do permanent canines erupt?

12-16 weeks

when do permanent premolars erupt?

16-20 weeks

when do permanent molars erupt?

16-28 weeks

When are all permanent teeth typically present by?

7 months of age

characteristics of puppies 6 months-2 years

- full set of teeth but little/no tartar or wear on teeth
- use body development/coordination to help pinpoint age

movement, gait, and energy of younger dogs

- younger dogs are gangly
- legs seem to go everywhere
- less coordinated
- loping loose, gait
- higher energy level (busy and then tend to fall asleep)

movement, gait, and energy of older dogs

- older dogs stiffer
- tend to move with short, tighter stride
- might show some lameness or sensitivity
- loss of muscle tone so they don't carry themselves as upright as younger dogs
- easier going in general

what teeth characteristics do older dogs have?

- more tartar
- more wear on enamel or broken teeth

dogs that tend to \____________ \____________ or \___________ will have more worn teeth

chew bones or rocks

some dogs are more prone to \____________

tartar

what 2 things have an impact on teeth of dogs?

diet and overall health

older dogs tend to have \______________ eyes

cloudier

what color are cloudy eyes?

bluish or white color

nuclear or lenticular sclerosis in dogs

- normal aging in dog typically over 6 years old
- diffusely hazy or opaque
- change in crystalline structure of lens
- occurs equally in both eyes
- not painful and minimally affects vision

cataracts

milky white

when do dogs lose fluffy puppy coat?

4-6 months of age

what happens when dogs/cats lose puppy/kitten coat?

they develop adult coat with more guard hairs

a coat that has lost luster or looks frumpy is a sign of...

- poor health
- older age (and possible underlying disease state)

when is graying in dogs typically noticeable?

after 6 years of age

what breed of dogs gray prematurely and a lot?

some golden retrievers

dogs with increased anxiety/stress also tend to show more/earlier \_____________

graying

sensitive periods used to be called \_____________ periods

critical

what are sensitive periods?

periods in which environmental factors particularly potent in affecting behavior

sensitive periods were found to be more \______________ than originally thought. Provide an example

- flexible
- ex: imprinting in birds

John Paul Scott

- originator in applying sensitive periods to dog development
- 1957

what is especially important for long term social behavior?

identified periods in which socialization occurs

all social species have critical/sensitive periods where they learn to ...

identify future mates and social partners

exposure to \__________ leads to long term familiarity through the mechanism of a \___________ nervous system

novelty, plastic

after socialization period, what becomes a factor?

fear

what does fear lead to?

avoidance of novelty (neophobic)

when is olfaction functional in dogs?

8-13 days

when do dogs respond to sound?

average 19.5 days

when do dogs start to reliably respond to sound?

25 days

when do dogs eyes open?

13 days

when do dogs begin to see forms?

25 days

when does visually guided behavior in dogs begin?

4 weeks

when does dog vision mature?

6 weeks

what are the 7 stages of dog development?

- neonatal period
- transition period
- awareness period
- canine socialization period
- human socialization period
- fear period
- juvenile period

when does the neonatal period in dogs occur?

0-12 days

describe neonatal period in dogs

- blind, deaf, slow crawl
- respond to stimulation slowly (warmth, touch, and taste)
- most behavior reflexive (defecation, nursing)
- cannot thermoregulate

when does the transition period in dogs occur?

13-20 days

describe the transition period in dogs

- eyes, ears open
- startle reaction to sound
- tail wagging begins
- control of bodily functions
- walk instead of crawl
- move backwards and forwards
- first teeth appear

when does the awareness period in dogs occur?

21-28 days

describe the awareness period in dogs

- notices individuals at a distance
- mother starts to leave pups alone
- strong relationship between siblings

when does the canine socialization period occur?

21-49 days

describe the canine socialization period

- interacting with mother and littermates
- learning various canine behaviors
- differentiates between canine and human

when does the human socialization period in dogs occur?

7-12 weeks

describe the human socialization period in dogs

- can easily learn positive associations with humans during this time
- fear begins to have an onset but socialization can continue until 16 weeks

when does the fear period occur in dogs?

8-11 weeks (varies)

describe the fear period in dogs

- temporarily more fearful
- avoid scaring or overwhelming dog
- continue to socialize but do so at a level/distance pup can handle with a lot of positive associations
- can have second fear period between 6-14 months