Factors influencing owner-reported frequency of prey brought home
Following the model selection, for the frequency of birds returned home, the final model retained nine variables (cat breed, cat age, abundance of natural elements, urban level, time spent daily by the cat outdoors, and the four personality traits; complete results in Figure 2) and for the frequency of small mammals (mice, field mice, shrew, etc.) returned home, ten variables (the same previous nine with the addition of the type of housing; complete results in Figure 3). The estimates of the effects of each predictor and the results of Wald’s tests are presented in the text below, with the odds ratios and confidence intervals provided in Figures 2 and 3.
Cats with high extraversion had higher bird return rates (estimate=0.192, st. error= 0.095, z-value= 2.032, p value= 0.042) and higher mammal return rates (estimate=0.220, st. error= 0.091, z-value= 2.406, p value= 0.016). Cats with high dominance had higher bird return rates (estimate=0.194, st. error= 0.084, z-value= 2.313, p value= 0.021) and higher mammal return rates (tendency; estimate=0.151, st. error= 0.081, z-value= 1.858, p value= 0.063). Cats with high neuroticism had lower bird return rates (estimate= -0.253, st. error= 0.097, z-value= -2.599, p value= 0.009) and lower mammal return rates (estimate= -0.242, st. error= 0.094, z-value= -2.582, p value= 0.010). Cats with high agreeableness had lower bird return rates (estimate= -0.321, st. error= 0.114, z-value= -2.829, p value = 0.005).
Cats from an urban environment had lower bird return rates (Rur-Urb: estimate= 0.977, st. error= 0.215, z-value= 4.543, p value< 0.001; Periurb-Urb-: estimate= 0.858, st. error= 0.229, z-value= 3.750, p value< 0.001) and lower mammal return rates (Rur-Urb: estimate= 0.924, st. error= 0.214, z-value= 4.324, p value< 0.001; Periurb-Urb: estimate= 0.675, st. error= 0.218, z-value= 3.097, p value= 0.004) than those from rural or suburban environments, although no differences were found between rural and suburban environments (Appendix Table 1). Owners of cats located in environments rich in natural elements and spending more time outside reported higher bird return rates (Natural elements: estimate=0.740, st. error= 0.303, z-value= 2.442, p value= 0.015, Time outside: estimate=1.472, st. error= 0.335, z-value= 4.390, p value < 0.001) and higher mammal return rates (Natural elements: estimate=0.807, st. error= 0.273, z-value= 2.956, p value= 0.003, Time outside: estimate=1.322, st. error= 0.330, z-value= 4.006, p value < 0.001). Non-pedigree cats reported higher bird return rates than Ragdolls (estimate= 1.610, st. error= 0.439, z-value= 3.669, p value= 0.004; Figure 2D), although there was no significant difference between breeds for mammal return rates after correcting the p values in post-hoc tests (Figure 3D; Appendix Table 1).