Despite various drugs, cats continue to kill mice

Area of Science:

• Ethology and Animal Behavior
• Neuropharmacology
• Comparative Psychology

Background:

• Predatory aggression, specifically mouse killing in domestic cats, is a complex behavior influenced by neurochemical pathways.
• Previous research in rodents suggests certain drugs, including amphetamines and antidepressants, can modulate predatory behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of amphetamines and a range of other psychoactive drugs on spontaneous mouse killing behavior in domestic cats.
• To compare the efficacy of these drugs in inhibiting predatory behavior in cats versus findings in rodent models.

Main Methods:

• Administration of various drugs, including d- and l-amphetamine, imipramine, amitriptyline, and others, at specified dosages to domestic cats.
• Observation and quantification of spontaneous mouse killing behavior before and after drug administration.
• Assessment of behavioral changes, including potential anorexia and affective arousal, in response to drug treatment.

Main Results:

• Amphetamines (d- and l-) showed partial inhibition of mouse killing in some cats, but the effect was not universal.
• A broad spectrum of other tested drugs, including antidepressants, anticholinergics, anxiolytics, and antipsychotics, failed to reliably inhibit mouse killing.
• Inhibition observed in individual cats appeared more closely linked to drug-induced anorexia than to changes in affective arousal.

Conclusions:

• Unlike in rats, amphetamines and antidepressants do not consistently block mouse killing behavior in cats.
• The neuropharmacological mechanisms underlying predatory aggression in cats may differ significantly from those in rodents.
• Anorectic side effects, rather than direct modulation of predatory drive or affective state, may explain the limited inhibitory effects of amphetamines.