Table S2.
Distributions of cats by cat age group (adult cat or kitten) and associations between potential determinants of cat age group adopted for 389 cats adopted from an animal shelter in Australia in 2013 (for those variables which had a p-value ≥0.1 on initial univariable screening analysis).
| Independent Variable and Categories | Adult Cats n (%) 2 | Kittens n (%) 2 | Adjusted Odds Ratio 3 | 95% Confidence Interval | Adjusted p-Value 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Respondent gender (n = 380) | 0.83 | ||||
| Male | 68 (27) | 34 (36) | Reference category | ||
| Female | 180 (73) | 98 (74) | 0.7 | 0.0–13.1 | 0.83 |
| Respondent age (n = 378) | 0.90 | ||||
| 18–25 | 52 (21) | 24 (18) | Reference category | ||
| 26–35 | 81 (34) | 38 (29) | 1.3 | 0.0–50.3 | 0.88 |
| 36–45 | 63 (26) | 41 (31) | 1.0 | 0.0–41.4 | 0.98 |
| 46–55 | 28 (11) | 18 (14) | 0.4 | 0.0–50.8 | 0.74 |
| 56–65 | 15 (6) | 9 (7) | 0.1 | 0.0–20.2 | 0.35 |
| ≥66 | 7 (3) | 2 (2) | 5.1 | 0.0–31,196.7 | 0.71 |
| Respondent occupation status (n = 380) | 0.97 | ||||
| Employed full-time | 177 (47) | 66 (50) | Reference category | ||
| Employed part-time | 33 (13) | 17 (13) | 1.8 | 0.0–143.4 | 0.79 |
| Casual worker | 18 (7) | 5 (4) | 24.5 | 0.0–14,447.4 | 0.33 |
| Homemaker | 25 (10) | 16 (12) | 0.8 | 0.0–47.3 | 0.92 |
| Student | 21 (8) | 11 (8) | 0.4 | 0.0–32.9 | 0.67 |
| Retired | 10 (4) | 5 (4) | 1.2 | 0.0–815.4 | 0.96 |
| Self-employed | 17 (7) | 6 (5) | 31.4 | 0.0–29,387.3 | 0.32 |
| Unemployed | 5 (2) | 4 (3) | 1.0 | 0.0–432.1 | 1.00 |
| Other | 2 (1) | 2 (2) | 61.2 | 0.0–1.5e+07 | 0.51 |
| Respondent relationship status (n = 354) | 0.14 | ||||
| Married | 102 (44) | 47 (39) | Reference category | ||
| Single | 72 (31) | 39 (32) | 0.4 | 0.0–12.7 | 0.56 |
| De facto relationship | 49 (21) | 29 (24) | 0.0 | 0.0–1.1 | 0.05 |
| Widowed or divorced | 9 (4) | 7 (6) | 0.0 | 0.0–4.4 | 0.14 |
| Respondent’s household income (n = 378) | 0.60 | ||||
| Double income | 126 (51) | 63 (48) | Reference category | ||
| Single income | 107 (44) | 63 (48) | 0.3 | 0.0–4.0 | 0.33 |
| Pension | 13 (5) | 6 (5) | 1.4 | 0.0–267.5 | 0.89 |
| Children under 15 years of age living with the respondent (n = 378) | 1.00 | ||||
| None | 126 (51) | 63 (48) | Reference category | ||
| One or more | 120 (49) | 69 (52) | 0.9 | 0.1–11.3 | 0.94 |
| Respondent’s housing situation (n = 378) | 0.34 | ||||
| Homeowner | 144 (59) | 81 (61) | Reference category | ||
| Renting | 85 (35) | 45 (34) | 0.2 | 0.0–5.4 | 0.35 |
| Other | 17 (7) | 6 (5) | 6.8 | 0.0–1,589.5 | 0.49 |
| Respondent’s type of accommodation (n = 380) | 0.20 | ||||
| House | 191 (77) | 109 (86) | Reference category | ||
| Apartment/unit/townhouse/studio | 45 (18) | 20 (15) | 1.0 | 0.0–33.1 | 0.98 |
| Farm/hobby farm/other | 9 (3) | 3 (2) | 2,023.9 | 0.1–6.87e+7 | 0.15 |
| Number of people in the respondent’s household (n = 360) | 1.00 | ||||
| 1 | 30 (13) | 11 (9) | Reference category | ||
| 2–3 | 116 (50) | 64 (51) | 0.3 | 0.0–3.2 | 0.29 |
| ≥4 | 88 (38) | 51 (41) | 0.2 | 0.0–3.0 | 0.25 |
| The importance of price as a consideration in the adoption (n = 375) | 0.19 | ||||
| Price of the cat was part of the picture, but it was more about finding the right animal | 138 (57) | 73 (55) | Reference category | ||
| Price was not a consideration when I selected a cat | 77 (32) | 46 (35) | 0.1 | 0.0–2.7 | 0.16 |
| I had a set budget to purchase the cat that I could not go over | 18 (7) | 10 (8) | 15.8 | 0.0–12,193.1 | 0.42 |
| I wanted the best value/cheapest option to purchase a cat | 10 (4) | 3 (2) | 6.8 | 0.0–9,177.0 | 0.60 |
| Other cat sources considered (n = 361) | 0.50 | ||||
| Did not consider a source other than the shelter | 141 (60) | 72 (57) | Reference category | ||
| Did consider a source other than the shelter | 93 (40) | 55 (43) | 0.3 | 0.0–7.9 | 0.49 |
| Length of time spent considering the adoption (n = 374) | 0.75 | ||||
| Spur of the moment | 9 (4) | 5 (4) | Reference category | ||
| < 1 month | 34 (14) | 18 (14) | 138.3 | 0.1–378,474.3 | 0.22 |
| ≥1–<6 months | 93 (38) | 52 (39) | 127.5 | 0.1–126,033.0 | 0.18 |
| ≥6–<12months | 55 (23) | 30 (23) | 238.6 | 0.1–537,146.7 | 0.16 |
| ≥12 months | 51 (21) | 27 (21) | 143.0 | 0.1–236,717.6 | 0.19 |
| Agreement with the statement “When I was considering purchasing/adopting a cat leading up to today, I considered the following factors…” | |||||
| “Suitability of my accommodation for a cat/kitten” (n = 367) | 0.70 | ||||
| Somewhat or strongly agree | 220 (91) | 118 (94) | Reference category | ||
| Neither agree nor disagree | 12 (5) | 3 (2) | 23.7 | 0.0–7,712,852.0 | 0.63 |
| Strongly or somewhat disagree | 10 (4) | 4 (3) | 3.1 | 0.0–935,508.8 | 0.86 |
| “Ongoing costs to care for a cat/kitten” (n = 366) | 0.35 | ||||
| Somewhat or strongly agree | 141 (59) | 85 (68) | Reference category | ||
| Neither agree nor disagree | 60 (25) | 22 (18) | 12.4 | 0.2–642.9 | 0.21 |
| Strongly or somewhat disagree | 39 (16) | 19 (15) | 2.9 | 0.0–293.7 | 0.66 |
| “My preferred age of cat (e.g., kitten or adult)” (n = 364) | 1.00 | ||||
| Somewhat or strongly agree | 159 (67) | 93 (74) | Reference category | ||
| Neither agree nor disagree | 49 (21) | 25 (20) | 1.7 | 0.3–10.7 | 0.55 |
| Strongly or somewhat disagree | 30 (13) | 8 (6) | 12.7 | 0.5–332/2 | 0.13 |
| “My preferred cat/kitten appearance (e.g., colour, coat length)” (n = 361) | 1.00 | ||||
| Somewhat or strongly agree | 97 (41) | 65 (52) | Reference category | ||
| Neither agree nor disagree | 85 (36) | 47 (38) | 1.3 | 0.1–23.1 | 0.86 |
| Strongly or somewhat disagree | 55 (23) | 12 (10) | 18.0 | 0.2–1,663.3 | 0.21 |
| “My preferred cat/kitten personality (e.g., playful, placid, independent, affectionate)” (n = 361) | 1.00 | ||||
| Somewhat or strongly agree | 193 (81) | 108 (87) | Reference category | ||
| Neither agree nor disagree | 29 (12) | 11 (9) | 0.6 | 0.0–23.7 | 0.78 |
| Strongly or somewhat disagree | 15 (6) | 5 (4) | 4.4 | 0.0–1,339.4 | 0.61 |
| “The level of effort involved in caring for the cat/kitten (e.g., daily maintenance)” (n = 364) | 1.00 | ||||
| Somewhat or strongly agree | 127 (53) | 79 (64) | Reference category | ||
| Neither agree nor disagree | 74 (31) | 30 (24) | 1.9 | 0.1–35.8 | 0.68 |
| Strongly or somewhat disagree | 40 (17) | 14 (11) | 3.4 | 0.1–128.0 | 0.51 |
| “The cat/kitten’s lifespan and therefore the duration of care required” (n = 365) | 1.00 | ||||
| Somewhat or strongly agree | 132 (55) | 70 (57) | Reference category | ||
| Neither agree nor disagree | 64 (27) | 34 (27) | 0.8 | 0.1–12.6 | 0.9 |
| Strongly or somewhat disagree | 45(19) | 20 (16) | 0.8 | 0.0–20.1 | 0.9 |
| “My lifestyle” (n = 361) | 1.00 | ||||
| Somewhat or strongly agree | 186 (79) | 93 (75) | Reference category | ||
| Neither agree nor disagree | 36 (15) | 24 (19) | 0.2 | 0.0–3.8 | 0.27 |
| Strongly or somewhat disagree | 15 (6) | 7 (6) | 0.1 | 0.0–11.2 | 0.38 |
| “Where to get the cat/kitten from” (n = 362) | 1.00 | ||||
| Somewhat or strongly agree | 169 (71) | 96 (77) | Reference category | ||
| Neither agree nor disagree | 49 (21) | 22 (18) | 2.0 | 0.1–52.5 | 0.69 |
| Strongly or somewhat disagree | 20 (8) | 6 (5) | 1.5 | 0.0–111.8 | 0.87 |
| Agreement with the statement “I chose to adopt this cat/kitten from an animal shelter rather than a breeder, pet shop or other source because…” | |||||
| “Cats/kittens from shelters are good value” (n = 362) | 1.00 | ||||
| Somewhat or strongly agree | 153 (65) | 83 (66) | Reference category | ||
| Neither agree nor disagree | 53 (23) | 31 (25) | 0.9 | 0.0–20.7 | 0.96 |
| Strongly or somewhat disagree | 30 (13) | 12 (10) | 8.2 | 0.1–664.2 | 0.35 |
| “Cats/kittens from shelters are cheap” (n = 355) | 0.89 | ||||
| Somewhat or strongly agree | 95 (41) | 47 (38) | Reference category | ||
| Neither agree nor disagree | 92 (40) | 54 (44) | 0.5 | 0.0–11.2 | 0.65 |
| Strongly or somewhat disagree | 44 (19) | 23 (19) | 0.4 | 0.0–48.5 | 0.72 |
| “I think adopting cats/kittens from shelters is the right thing to do” (n = 363) | 0.36 | ||||
| Somewhat or strongly agree | 223 (94) | 122 (97) | Reference category | ||
| Neither agree nor disagree | 5 (2) | 2 (2) | 96.25 | 0.0–2,616,438.0 | 0.38 |
| Strongly or somewhat disagree | 9 (4) | 2 (2) | |||
| “Shelter cats/kittens are already sterilised, vaccinated, microchipped, checked by a vet and treated for parasites” (n = 364) | 0.77 | ||||
| Somewhat or strongly agree | 206 (87) | 112 (88) | Reference category | ||
| Neither agree nor disagree | 20 (8) | 12 (10) | 0.2 | 0.0–12.2 | 0.44 |
| Strongly or somewhat disagree | 11 (5) | 3 (2) | 0.4 | 0.0–271.9 | 0.77 |
| “There is large selection of cats/kittens to choose from at an animal shelter” (n = 357) | 0.29 | ||||
| Somewhat or strongly agree | 152 (66) | 78 (62) | Reference category | ||
| Neither agree nor disagree | 59 (26) | 40 (32) | 0.1 | 0.0–2.2 | 0.14 |
| Strongly or somewhat disagree | 20 (9) | 8 (6) | 0.1 | 0.0–14.2 | 0.31 |
| “I have adopted a cat/kitten from an animal shelter previously and was happy with the experience” (n = 267) | 0.57 | ||||
| Somewhat or strongly agree | 96 (56) | 50 (52) | Reference category | ||
| Neither agree nor disagree | 38 (22) | 29 (30) | 0.1 | 0.0–8.7 | 0.33 |
| Strongly or somewhat disagree | 37 (22) | 17 (18) | 0.3 | 0.0–56.2 | 0.67 |
| “The shelter’s opening hours are convenient for me” (n = 364) | 0.84 | ||||
| Somewhat or strongly agree | 172 (73) | 95 (75) | Reference category | ||
| Neither agree nor disagree | 47 (20) | 27 (21) | 0.4 | 0.0–12.2 | 0.60 |
| Strongly or somewhat disagree | 18 (8) | 5 (4) | 1.9 | 0.0–748.0 | 0.84 |
| “The shelter is convenient for me to get to” (n = 369) | 0.28 | ||||
| Somewhat or strongly agree | 139 (58) | 69 (58) | Reference category | ||
| Neither agree nor disagree | 52 (22) | 32 (25) | 0.1 | 0.0–2.1 | 0.13 |
| Strongly or somewhat disagree | 50 (21) | 27 (21) | 0.5 | 0.0–17.0 | 0.70 |
| “The shelter is a trusted and credible option” (n = 369) | 0.96 | ||||
| Somewhat or strongly agree | 223 (93) | 122 (95) | Reference category | ||
| Neither agree nor disagree | 10 (4) | 3 (2) | 0.4 | 0.0–429.5 | 0.79 |
| Strongly or somewhat disagree | 8 (3) | 3 (2) | 3.2 | 0.0–106,515.9 | 0.83 |
| “By getting a cat/kitten from the shelter I help the shelter” (n = 370) | 0.85 | ||||
| Somewhat or strongly agree | 229 (95) | 120 (94) | Reference category | ||
| Neither agree nor disagree | 6 (3) | 5 (4) | 0.1 | 0.0–70.5 | 0.54 |
| Strongly or somewhat disagree | 7 (3) | 3 (2) | 1.7 | 0.0–13,456.0 | 0.91 |
| “I was referred to the shelter by a friend, relative, colleague or acquaintance” (n = 309) | 0.76 | ||||
| Somewhat or strongly agree | 42 (21) | 15 (14) | Reference category | ||
| Neither agree nor disagree | 81 (40) | 45 (42) | 0.4 | 0.0–38.6 | 0.70 |
| Strongly or somewhat disagree | 78 (39) | 48 (44) | 0.2 | 0.0–18.2 | 0.50 |
| “I wanted the support given after purchase/adoption by the shelter” (n = 352) | 0.046 | ||||
| Somewhat or strongly agree | 157 (69) | 75 (61) | Reference category | ||
| Neither agree nor disagree | 53 (23) | 42 (34) | 0.0 | 0.0–0.9 | 0.04 |
| Strongly or somewhat disagree | 19 (8) | 6 (5) | 4.6 | 0.0–681.3 | 0.55 |
| “I had heard about the promotion the shelter was having for sale/adoption of cats” (n = 277) | 0.29 | ||||
| Somewhat or strongly agree | 74 (39) | 26 (30) | Reference category | ||
| Neither agree nor disagree | 63 (33) | 35 (40) | 0.1 | 0.0–3.3 | 0.18 |
| Strongly or somewhat disagree | 53 (28) | 26 (30) | 0.2 | 0.0–11.8 | 0.45 |
| “I looked around and liked this particular cat/kitten at the shelter” (n = 326) | 0.83 | ||||
| Somewhat or strongly agree | 156 (72) | 80 (74) | Reference category | ||
| Neither agree nor disagree | 33 (15) | 14 (13) | 0.5 | 0.0–19.9 | 0.74 |
| Strongly or somewhat disagree | 29 (13) | 14 (13) | 0.3 | 0.0–12.5 | 0.50 |
1 All variables that had an overall p-value ≥0.1 on univariable analysis are presented in this table. In order to adjust the odds ratios for the variables that were significant, each of the variables in this table were adjusted for the eight variables in the multivariable model reported in Table 1. Two hundred forty six cats were included in the model, as those with missing values for any of the eight independent variables in the multivariable model were excluded. 2 Total numbers of respondents differ between exposure variables, as not all respondents answered each question, and within variables, percentages do not always sum to 100% due to rounding. 3 The odds ratio estimates the odds of an adopter adopting an adult cat rather than a kitten. 4 Bolded values are the overall likelihood ratio test p-values for the variable; non-bolded values are Wald p-values for the specific category, relative to the reference category. 5 Categories combined for analysis as sparse or zero cells did not allow analysis of the categories separately; indicated by a common vertical line showing the categories that were pooled for analysis. 6 In the univariable analysis, p = 0.12.