Table 5.
Means (M), standard deviations (SD), and t-test results comparing cat owners and non-owners on likelihood of accepting advice on cat care and management from various sources. Cohen’s d (d) effect sizes are also presented. Items were measured on a 5-point Likert scale, with higher scores indicating a higher likelihood of relying on that source of advice. Items are listed in order of highest to lowest M for owners.
| Likelihood of Acting on Advice From: | Owners | Non-owners | t | df | p | D | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M | SD | M | SD | |||||
| Veterinarian | 4.65 | 0.59 | 4.66 | 0.98 | −0.23 | 5700 | 0.817 | 0.02 |
| RSPCA | 4.00 | 0.89 | 4.17 | 0.87 | −5.87 | 1941.5 | <0.001 * | 0.19 |
| Cat shelter or rescue other than RSPCA (e.g., Cat Protection Society; Lost Dogs Home) | 3.85 | 0.81 | 3.91 | 0.84 | −2.26 | 5646 | 0.024 | 0.07 |
| Books | 3.67 | 0.78 | 3.68 | 0.82 | −0.24 | 5643 | 0.810 | 0.01 |
| Zoos Victoria | 3.47 | 1.00 | 3.61 | 1.03 | −4.45 | 5638 | <0.001 * | 0.14 |
| Family | 3.41 | 0.81 | 3.52 | 0.81 | −4.15 | 5648 | <0.001 * | 0.14 |
| General Google search | 3.38 | 0.79 | 3.39 | 0.81 | −0.35 | 5652 | 0.727 | 0.02 |
| Friends | 3.34 | 0.78 | 3.47 | 0.79 | −5.11 | 5648 | <0.001 * | 0.17 |
| Cat breeder | 3.30 | 1.09 | 3.44 | 1.07 | −3.89 | 5645 | <0.001 * | 0.13 |
| Local council | 3.28 | 0.91 | 3.64 | 0.87 | −12.54 | 1967.2 | <0.001 * | 0.40 |
| Cat fancier association | 3.04 | 0.98 | 3.02 | 1.00 | 0.78 | 5626 | 0.435 | 0.02 |
| Social media | 2.84 | 0.88 | 2.72 | 0.89 | 3.88 | 1860.9 | <0.001 * | 0.14 |
| Pet shop | 2.71 | 1.07 | 2.84 | 1.05 | −3.67 | 1914.7 | <0.001 * | 0.12 |
* Difference is significant at Bonferroni-adjusted alpha level of p < 0.004.