Cats raised by cats, cats raised by humans: on "mother-child" communication between the same and inter-species

Abstract

Cats raised by cats, cats raised by humans: on "mother-child" communication between the same and inter-species SAHO TAKAGI １） ２） Abstract Cats are now the most common companion animal in Japan. Cats have had a close relationship with humans for a long time, and sometimes there is human intervention from the earliest stages of development. In other words, they are often raised by humans rather than by their biological mother. Cats raised by humans may perform the same behaviors in humans that they do in their mother cats. This paper outlines cat parenting by biological parents and its mother-infant communication and human-cat "mother-infant" communication, followed by a summary of maternal-like behaviors exhibited by cats toward humans. The process of parenting by cats and the developmental stages of their offspring are outlined, followed by an explanation of the recently revealed role of the father and communication between mother and offspring. Regarding cat parenting by humans, the importance of the socialization period will be discussed, followed by an explanation of various forms of "mother-infant" communication. Then, after summarizing the mother-like behavior of cats toward humans, I will discuss whether cats show tolerance toward human children based on preliminary studies and my own experience. Finally, I summarized the differences between conspecific and inter-species communication and discuss future prospects. Key words：parental care, cat, inter-species communication, infant-mother communication はじめに 伴侶動物であるイエネコ （Felis catus） （以降， 「ネ コ」と表記）は，様々な場所に生息している。ヒト と同じ家に住み，特定の飼い主から餌の供給を受け て飼育されているカイネコもいれば，特定の飼い主 を持たず野外で生活しているノラネコもいる （Figure 1） 。つまり，その子育てを生物学的な親である母ネ コが担う場合もあれば，異種であるヒトが担う場合 もある。ネコはおおよそ１万年前に家畜化され （Driscoll et al., 2007） ，ヒトとの共生が始まった といわれており，母ネコに対して行う行動をヒトに 対してもみせることがある（高木，2022） 。このよ うな背景からネコとヒトとは異種でありながら，一 種の"親子"関係にあるとみなすこともできるだろ う。ここでは，ネコの子育てや近年明らかになりつ つある父親の役割，母子間コミュニケーションにつ １）麻布大学 ２）日本学術振興会 連絡先：高木佐保