Table S4.
Distributions of adoption outcomes by type of cat adopted (adult cat or kitten) for 266 cats adopted from an animal shelter in Australia in 2013 for variables with p-values ≥0.05 on univariable analyses comparing distributions between cat age groups.
| Dependent Variable and Categories | Adult Cats n (%) 2 | Kittens n (%) 2 | Odds Ratio/Relative Risk Ratio 3 | 95% Confidence Interval 3 | p-Value 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cat retention (n = 266) 5 | 0.38 | ||||
| Yes | 157 (92) 6 | 90 (95) | Reference category | ||
| No | 14 (8) | 5 (5) | 1.6 | 0.6–4.6 | 0.38 |
| Self-rated attachment to the adopted cat (n = 257) 6 | 1.5 | 0.7 to 3.4 | 0.33 | ||
| Very attached | 143 (86) | 82 (90) | |||
| Moderately attached | 19 (12) | 9 (10) | |||
| Not at all attached | 4 (2) | 0 | |||
| Agreement with the statement “I like cats” (n = 264) 7 | 0.14 | ||||
| Somewhat or strongly agree | 159 (94) | 87 (93) | Base category | ||
| Neither agree nor disagree | 4 (2) | 6 (6) | 0.4 | 0.1–1.3 | 0.13 |
| Somewhat or strongly disagree | 7 (4) | 1 (1) | 3.8 | 0.4–31.8 | 0.21 |
| Would adopter choose to adopt from the shelter again in the future (n = 246) 6 | 1.1 | 0.3–3.8 | 0.87 | ||
| Yes | 151 (95) | 83 (95) | |||
| Unsure | 5 (3) | 3 (4) | |||
| No | 3 (2) | 1 (1) | |||
| Did the adopter intend to keep the cat? (n = 229) 8 | 0.43 | ||||
| Yes | 143 (98) | 83 (100) | Reference category | ||
| Unsure | 3 (2) | 0 | 2.2 | 0.3–∞ 9 | 0.43 |
| Frequency of the adopter holding/stroking/cuddling the cat/kitten (n = 258) 5 | 0.48 | ||||
| Once a day or more frequently | 163 (98) | 90 (99) | Reference category | ||
| Less often than once a day | 4 (2) | 1 (1) | 2.2 | 0.2–20.3 | 0.48 |
| Frequency of cat/kitten being allowed inside (n = 259) 6 | 0.9 | 0.5–1.4 | 0.51 | ||
| Whenever he/she wants or always inside | 144 (86) | 81 (88) | |||
| Daily | 22 (13) | 9 (1) | |||
| Less often than daily | 1 (1) | 2 (2) | |||
| Indoor/outdoor status of the cat (n = 258) 6 | 1.2 | 0.7–1.9 | 0.48 | ||
| The cat/kitten is confined inside your house/apartment/unit during the day and night | 58 (35) | 34 (37) | |||
| The cat/kitten is allowed to go outside during the day, but is confined to your property all of the time (e.g., in a cat enclosure or contained outdoor area) and you confine the cat/kitten inside your house/apartment/unit during the night) or the cat/kitten is allowed to go outside during the day and night but is confined to your property all of the time (e.g., in a cat enclosure or contained outdoor area) | 37 (22) | 22 (24) | |||
| The cat/kitten is allowed to go outside during the day and is able to leave your property but is confined inside your house/apartment /unit during the night | 51 (31) | 26 (29) | |||
| The cat/kitten is allowed to go outside during the day and night and is able to leave your property | 21 (13) | 9 (10) | |||
| A collar has been put on the cat/kitten (n = 258) 5 | 0.67 | ||||
| Yes | 119 (71) | 68 (75) | Reference category | ||
| No | 48 (29) | 23 (25) | 1.5 | 0.2–10.5 | 0.67 |
| External identification has been put on the cat/kitten (i.e., a tag with address details) (n = 257) 5 | 0.90 | ||||
| Yes | 91 (55) | 50 (56) | Reference category | ||
| No | 76 (46) | 40 (44) | 1.2 | 0.1–9.9 | 0.90 |
| The adopter checked to make sure that the registered microchip details were correct (n = 244) 5 | 0.14 | ||||
| Yes | 102 (64) | 44 (52) | Reference category | ||
| No | 58 (36) | 40 (48) | 5.3 | 0.6–48.3 | 0.14 |
| Did the adopter intend to take the cat to the vet yearly? (n = 258) 7 | 0.15 | ||||
| Yes | 146 (87) | 83 (91) | Base category | ||
| No | 7 (4) | 6 (7) | 0.7 | 0.2–2.1 | 0.48 |
| Not sure | 14 (8) | 2 (2) | 4.0 | 0.9–18.0 | 0.07 |
| Frequency of flea control administration (n = 253) 5 | 0.52 | ||||
| Every 3 months or more often | 91 (56) | 53 (60) | Reference category | ||
| Less often than once every 3 months | 73 (45) | 36 (45) | 1.3 | 0.5–3.2 | 0.41 |
| Frequency of de-worming medication administration (n = 247) 5 | 0.83 | ||||
| Every 3 months or more often | 126 (80) | 72 (81) | Reference category | ||
| Less often than once every 3 months | 21 (20) | 17 (19) | 1.1 | 0.4–2.9 | 0.84 |
1 Variables with an overall p-value ≥0.05 on univariable analysis and those with an overall p-value <0.05 on univariable analysis are reported in Table 2. 2 Total numbers of respondents differ between variables, as not all respondents answered each question, and within variables, percentages do not always sum to 100% due to rounding. 3 Odds ratio estimates are reported for ordered logistic regression and random-effects logistic regression; these estimate the odds of any particular dependent variable (adoption outcome) category for adult cats compared to kittens. Relative risk ratio (RRR) estimates are reported for multinomial logistic regression analyses; these estimate the probability of the specified dependent variable (adoption outcome) category rather than the base outcome for adult cats compared to kittens. 4 Bolded values are overall likelihood ratio test p-values for the variable; non-bolded values are Wald p-values for the specific level, relative to the reference category. 5 Results from random-effects logistic regression as 2 categories for the dependent variable (adoption outcome). 6 Results from ordered logistic regression as >2 categories for the dependent variable (adoption outcome), and there was no evidence that odds are not proportional. 7 Results from multinomial logistic regression are reported as there was evidence that odds were not proportional. 8 Exact logistic regression results reported (not adjusted for clustering by respondent), as random-effects logistic regression was not possible due to sparse category combinations. 9 ∞ = infinity.