Life Beyond the Shelter – Research Findings & Welfare Implications of the Feline Spectrum Behavior Assessment

A cat is admitted to the shelter. She does not ask for attention from humans; in fact, she avoids interaction, preferring to hide since she is unable to run away in the kennel. She shows behavior indicative of significant fear during her medical exam. There is no history of a positive social relationship with humans. Even with this minimal information, it is reasonable that this cat could be categorized as undersocialized. Another cat arrives on the same day. He approaches staff when the carrier door is open, making eye contact, rubbing, purring, and enjoying petting from staff. In the kennel, he approaches the front and meows when humans are near his kennel. He is comfortable enough to play with toys and eat in front of humans. This cat is clearly socialized to humans and enjoys interacting with them.

If both cats are adopted into a traditional pet home, can we describe both placements as successful? The answer will depend on which metric you are using to define success. What if we were to ask the cats about how they define success? This study asks tough questions about the difference in success metrics from the human and the cat’s perspective. The answers may not be aligned.

Cats identified as potentially undersocialized at intake experienced the Feline Spectrum Assessment (FSA). This evidence-based assessment categorizes cats on a spectrum from extremely likely to extremely unlikely to be socialized to humans based on their behavioral responses during a four-step behavior assessment that is repeated up to four times in the cat’s first three days in the shelter. Research suggests that this assessment can identify cats socialized to humans based on their behavioral responses. For more information on this assessment that can provide valuable information for pathway planning, see the link above.

This study compared two groups of cats from the same shelter in North America. Group one was represented by the undersocialized cat described above. Group Two is represented by the cat socialized to humans from the introductory examples. Using a post-adoption survey, researchers explored the prevalence of behavioral traits, social interactions with owners and strangers, and owner satisfaction. Thus, they asked questions about the cats’ behavior to determine the welfare of the cats in the home. They also asked the owners about their perception of the cat’s welfare and their assessment of their relationship with the cat (i.e., owner satisfaction). 

Study Design

Researchers found cats who were categorized as socialized (i.e., the control group; n=155) or undersocialized (i.e., the experimental group; n=65) to humans who entered the shelter and were adopted within specific date ranges using the shelter’s database software. They conducted post-adoption surveys with the adopter. They compared the responses for adopters of both groups to identify differences in behavior in the home as indicators of welfare in the adoptive home and adopter satisfaction. During data analysis, they separated the undersocialized group who underwent the FSA into three categories: FSA 1&2 (unlikely to be socialized), FSA 3 (likely to be socialized), and FSA 4&5 (extremely likely/socialized). This allowed for more precise data analysis across the socialization spectrum. 

Research Results

FSA cats, as a whole (e.g., FSA 1-5), showed lower affection and greater fearfulness than control cats. Control group cats showed more affection with their owners and did not display fearful behavior during social interactions.

Anecdotal reports suggest that fearful cats may develop a unique relationship with their caregivers/owners compared to other humans. The results of this study suggest that this is not the case for FSA cats adopted into traditional pet homes. FSA cats, as a whole, were less likely to approach and more likely to run away and/or hide from both owners and strangers in the home. This suggests that those cats (FSA 1-5) were experiencing prolonged periods of distress and fear regardless of who was present. They were careful to only do post-adoption surveys for cats who had been in the home for more than one month, so more time is unlikely to see meaningful change in behavior and welfare. Socialized cats were equally social with both owners and strangers in their home.

The difference in adopter satisfaction scores was not statistically significant, although owners of FSA cats expressed more concern about the welfare of the cats in their home. Thus, even if the human expectations were met, adopters were concerned that the cat’s welfare was poor, and a traditional pet home may not be the ideal placement for those cats. Return rates for both groups (FSA and clearly socialized) were similar. Thus, return rate may not be a good metric for evaluating welfare in the home.

Key Takeaways

• We need to be clear about the metrics we are using to define a successful adoption. If we are using placement/adoption as the metric, we need to be clear that this is not a welfare-based metric. It is a live-release metric. If we want to focus on welfare-based metrics, we need data on the cat's behavior in the home that shows whether the cat is experiencing poor or good welfare. Would the cats tell us that this is a life worth living as identified by the Five Domains Model? The authors write: “Although it is becoming increasingly possible to find adoption homes for poorly socialized cats, it does not appear to be in the best interest of many of these cats or adopters.”
   
• The FSA is a reasonable behavior assessment tool for pathway planning for cats who may be under socialized based on their behavior at intake and behavior history (when history is available). This behavior assessment tool can help identify cats who are socialized to humans, which can help decide which resources and outcomes may be appropriate for cats across the spectrum of socialization to humans. 
   
• FSA categorization helps with placement and determining behavior support needs while waiting for placement. Authors suggest that cats who are categorized as extremely unlikely/unlikely to be socialized (FSA 1 & 2) should be assigned to alternative placement programs. Cats likely to be socialized (FSA 3) and whose behavior and welfare do not improve with behavioral support in the shelter after a reasonable time frame may also be appropriate for alternative placement, especially if you are operating at or beyond the shelter’s capacity for care. When alternative placement is not available within a reasonable time limit, humane euthanasia may be an option for these cats. Cats who are socialized/extremely likely to be socialized may benefit the most from behavioral support while waiting for placement. 

This study asks tough questions about how we measure post-adoption success. We need to be clear about what any metric is measuring so that we do not misrepresent the story the data tells. Based on the welfare-based metrics reported in this study, we need to ask which metrics the cats would choose to use to define post-adoption success. 

Read the full research publication: 

Ellis, J. J., Janke, K. J., Furgala, N. M., & Bridge, T. (2025). Post-Adoption Behavior and Adopter Satisfaction of Cats Across Socialization Likelihoods. Journal of Shelter Medicine and Community Animal Health, 4(1). Published February 17, 2025