Assessing the impact of a human behaviour change intervention to reduce owner-related barriers to interactive cat play

Abstract

Although cats are popular pets and often viewed as family members, many cat owners fail to meet their welfare needs. This failure may occur due to several factors, including a lack of awareness and education, a lack of time or interest, and not prioritising the welfare needs of a companion animal due to competing motivations. This study expands on previous research that identified common barriers to owners engaging in daily wand toy play with their pet cat. The Behaviour Change Wheel framework, including the COM-B model, were used to design an educational digital campaign to encourage cat owners to play with their cats daily by removing or reducing several of the identified barriers (COM relates to the three categories of barriers - Capability, Opportunity and Motivation which influence B – the target behaviour). Pre and post-intervention surveys were conducted before and after the campaign. Three hundred and sixty-three cat owners completed the matched surveys. Participants reported positive impacts within the survey, with 35.3 % reporting that they played with their cats more regularly with a wand toy because of the campaign. An additional 11.9 % intended to change how often they play this way with their cats. After the campaign, participants reported fewer Capability barriers (S = −2442, p < 0.0001) and fewer Motivational barriers (S = −2532, p < 0.0001) to interactive play. Participants also reported fewer behaviour problems in their cats after the campaign. Most participants found the campaign materials enjoyable. This study demonstrates the positive impact of a short, digital campaign to increase self-reported play behaviour of cat owners with their pets.