1 / 14

Cats Inside-Only or Inside and Outside?; Cat Owners Prevention and Promotion Motivations

Cats Inside-Only or Inside and Outside?; Cat Owners Prevention and Promotion Motivations. Jill Mosteller, Ph.D. Portland State University Karen Kraus Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon. Cats In or Out? Agenda. Background/Community participants Key research questions/approach Results Insights

kasa
Download Presentation

Cats Inside-Only or Inside and Outside?; Cat Owners Prevention and Promotion Motivations

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Cats Inside-Only or Inside and Outside?; Cat Owners Prevention and Promotion Motivations Jill Mosteller, Ph.D. Portland State University Karen Kraus Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon

  2. Cats In or Out? Agenda • Background/Community participants • Key research questions/approach • Results • Insights • Next steps

  3. Background • Coalition of Three Organizations • Audubon Society of Portland • Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon • Portland State University • Key Issues driving study: • Cat overpopulation – leading cause of death for cats • 3.4 million cats are killed in shelters each year (HSUS) • In Oregon 15,000 /In Portland 4.300 cats are euthanized in shelters • 200 species of birds migrate/live in Portland Metro area. • 25% of species are experiencing significant population declines. • Each year, 40% of the 3,000 bird intake are attributed to attributed to domestic cats. Willamette Weekly, July 11, 2013 cover photo

  4. Coalition Background/Synergies • The Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon • Spays/neuters approx. 7,000 feral or stray cats/year • Altered 62,000 cats since inception in 1995. • Focus on prevention of future cats becoming feral or stray • Audubon Society of Portland • Common agenda; reducing the number of free roaming cats in Portland • Portland State University • Marketing professor studies consumers in relation to companion-animals

  5. Exploratory Study Exemplifies Cat Advocates and Bird Advocates Working Together

  6. Key research question/approach • What factors drive consumer decision-making with cats being let outside? • Secondary research conducted by students • Interdisciplinary searches and summaries • Online survey developed and distributed • Convenience snow-ball sample approach • University ‘identified’ as survey host • Students distributed survey via email and on social media sites

  7. Theoretical Framework • Regulatory Focus Theory (Higgins 1997, 1998) • Consumers are pursuing needs that they seek to fulfill and drives the color of their thoughts • Approach – promotion focus (+) • Avoidance – prevention focus (-) • Different motivations drive different types of thoughts associated with desired end states/goals.

  8. Participant Profile • N=120 • Cat owners who live in the PNW • Young - 70% 18-32 • Educated – 90% some college or higher • Connected – internet survey • Female – (71%)

  9. Survey Results In general, for you, how influential are the following reasons for keeping a cat inside? (4 point scale, 1- no influence, 4 – strong influence)

  10. Allowing a cat go outside…

  11. Survey Insights • Motivations to keep a cat inside • Prevention motives • ‘Avoid’ injury, disease, and loss • Motivations to let a cat outside • Promotion motives • ‘Promote’ an enriched life interacting with nature • Supporting cat’s disposition to want to go outside

  12. Cat Caretakers with Inside and Outside Cats… • Messaging that promotes how a cat can lead an enriched life INSIDE OR SAFE OUTSIDE may be persuasive. • Messaging that promotes cat well-being may be well received. • Raising awareness of consequences for cat’s well-being by being outside may be elicit attention. • Further testing with a larger, more representative sample of targeted cat owner households is needed.

  13. Next steps – future studies • Survey of targeted HH’s in Metro area • Attitudes – Behavior • Prevention/Promotion focus • Awareness of consequences - capture • Ascription of responsibility - capture • Importance of Cat, Bird, and Eco-system well-being • Testing of elements in messages to determine potential effectiveness in campaigns

  14. Questions? Future Inquiries Jill Mosteller jillm@sba.pdx.edu Karen Kraus kkraus@feralcats.com

More Related