Table 1.
Number of subjects included in previous studies regarding cats’ and dogs’ use of pointing gestures. The authors did not find any studies in which cats were tested in a laboratory setting. Only papers that reported dropout rates at some stage of the experiments are listed here.
| Study | Subjects enrolled (N) | Subjects excluded before test (%) | Subjects excluded during test (%) | Subjects completed test (%) | Test location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cats | |||||
| Miklósi et al. (2005), Exp 1 | 23 | 8.7 | 30.4 | 60.9 | Home |
| Kraus et al. (2014) | 30 | 56.7a | 43.3 | Indoor enclosureb | |
| Pongrácz et al. (2019) | 99 | 14.1 | 44.5 | 41.4 | Home |
| Pongrácz and Onofer (2020) | 68 | 13.2 | 30.9 | 55.9 | Home |
| Mäses and Wascher (2023) | 20 | 50 | – | 50 | Shelter |
| Dogs | |||||
| Miklósi et al. (2005), Exp 1 | 19 | – | – | 100c | Home |
| Kraus et al. (2014) | 40 | – | – | 100 | Home |
| Riedel et al. (2008)d | 150 | 1.3 | 2.7 | 96 | Home or labe |
| Gácsi et al. (2009a)d | 23 | 4.3 | – | 95.7 | Lab |
| Pongrácz et al. (2013)d | 173 | 4 | 2.9 | 93.1 | Lab or outdoors |
aKraus et al. (2014) reported the number of cats dropping out during the training and early in the experiment together.
bThe cats were tested in their indoor enclosure or the familiar hallway in front of their enclosure.
cIn Miklósi et al. (2005) all dogs completed the testing but 5 were excluded, as the cats living with these dogs dropped out during testing.
dIn these studies the subjects of all experiments were combined.
ePuppies up to 8 weeks old were tested at home, while older puppies and adults were tested in a laboratory.