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. 2023 Jun 12;13(12):1963.
doi: 10.3390/ani13121963.

Characterization of the Domestic Cat Population of Uruguay: Breeds, Coat Colors, Hair Length, Lifestyle, Sex and Spay/Neuter Status According to Guardian Report

Florencia Barrios  1 , Gonzalo Suárez  1 , Monique A R Udell  2 , Juan Pablo Damián  3
Affiliations

Characterization of the Domestic Cat Population of Uruguay: Breeds, Coat Colors, Hair Length, Lifestyle, Sex and Spay/Neuter Status According to Guardian Report

Florencia Barrios et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

The objective of this study was to characterize the domestic cat population of Uruguay in relation to breed, coat color, hair length, lifestyle (indoor vs. outdoor), age, sex, and spay/neuter status according to a survey completed by their owners or guardians. An online survey, distributed to residents of Uruguay, was completed in full by 2561 cat guardians. Descriptive statistics and Chi-squared tests were performed. The population of cats with guardians in Uruguay is characterized by the following data: higher frequency of female cats (53%), most of the cats were between two and six years old (49%), most of them were neutered (84%, mainly those older than one year of age), most of them have outdoor access (87%), a very low percentage (6%) are purebred (Siamese being the most frequent: 86%), and within the non-pure breeds, short hair cats were the most frequent (79%). This study, in addition to expanding the information on the characteristics of cats with guardians from other countries and continents, is the first study in Latin America to describe some key demographic aspects such as cat breeds, coat color, hair length, lifestyles, and frequency by age, sex, and spay/neuter status (spayed/neutered or not) at the country level.

Keywords: Felis catus; Latin America; demography; domestic felines; survey.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Age, sex, and spay/neuter status distribution of the cats that the guardians reported in the survey.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Age and lifestyle (indoor vs. outdoor) distribution of the cats reported by the guardians in the survey.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Breeds, sex, and neuter/spay status connection of the cats, considering indoor/outdoor access reported by their guardians in the survey.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Description of coat color patterns included in the survey: Tabby (A), Completely white (B), Calico (C), Carey (D), Orange/Yellow (E), Completely grey (F), White-spotted (G), Black and White (H), Completely black (I) and Color according to breed (as an example a Siamese cat is shown (J)). The photos shown are with copyright permission.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Description of non-purebred coat length included in the survey, long-haired non-purebred breed (A), and short-haired non-purebred (B). The photos shown are with copyright permission.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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