"Experimental neurosis" in cats: fact or artifact?

In an attempt to assess the validity of the phenomenon of "animal neurosis," the behavior of cats exposed to the type of conflict Masserman specified as being critical to the development of "experimental neurosis" was contrasted with that of cats simply confined in the conditioning apparatus for the same length of time. Comparison of the groups on the basis of the "symptoms" Masserman considered "neurotic" did not yield any evidence of neurotic behavior. It was concluded that cats do not become neurotic following exposure to conflict and that Masserman's findings are best explained as artifacts of the experimental procedures he employed.