How lazy are pet cats really? Using machine learning and accelerometry to get a glimpse into the behaviour of privately owned cats in different households

Surprisingly little is known about how the home environment influences the behaviour of pet cats. This study aimed to determine how factors in the home environment (e.g., with or without outdoor access, urban vs. rural, presence of a child) and season influences the daily behaviour of cats. Using accelerometer data and a validated machine learning model, behaviours including active, eating, grooming, littering, lying, scratching, sitting, and standing were quantified for 28 pet cats. Generalized estimating equation models were used to determine the effects of different environmental conditions. Increasing cat age was negatively correlated with time spent active (P<0.05). Cats with outdoor access were less active in winter than in summer (P<0.05), but no differences were observed between seasons for indoor only cats. Cats living in rural areas spent more time eating than cats in urban areas (P<0.05). Cats living in single-cat households spent more time lying but less time sitting than cats living in multi-cat households (P<0.05). Cats in households with at least one child spent more time standing in winter (P<0.05), and more time lying but less time sitting in summer than cats in households with no children (P<0.05). This study clearly showed that the home environment has a major impact on cat behaviour.目前学界对家庭环境如何影响家猫行为的认知仍较为匮乏。本研究旨在探究家庭环境因素（如是否拥有户外活动权限、城市与乡村环境差异、是否有儿童同住）以及季节对家猫日常行为的影响。本研究借助加速度计（accelerometer）数据与经过验证的机器学习模型，对28只家猫的活跃、进食、理毛、如厕、趴卧、抓挠、坐姿、站姿等行为进行了量化分析，并采用广义估计方程模型（Generalized Estimating Equation）分析不同环境条件的影响效应。结果表明，家猫的活跃时长与年龄呈显著负相关（P<0.05）。拥有户外活动权限的家猫在冬季的活跃程度低于夏季（P<0.05），但纯室内饲养的家猫未表现出季节间的行为差异。乡村环境饲养的家猫进食时长显著长于城市环境饲养的家猫（P<0.05）。单猫家庭饲养的家猫趴卧时长更长，而坐姿时长则短于多猫家庭饲养的家猫（P<0.05）。与无儿童同住的家庭相比，至少有一名儿童同住的家庭饲养的家猫在冬季站姿时长更长（P<0.05），夏季则趴卧时长更长、坐姿时长更短（P<0.05）。本研究明确证实，家庭环境对家猫行为具有显著影响。