FELINE FEELINGS

Do owners notice stress-related behaviour?Presentation by Jennifer Chivers

40% of households in Canada

Over 10 million cats

most popular pet in Canada

(Perrin 2009)

Mental and physical benefits of cats

(Allen et al. 2007)

Bad news for cats

• Over 100 000 cats enter shelters every year

• 50% of cats in shelters are euthanized

Most common reason for relinquishing a cat to a shelter -> inappropriate elimination

(Canadian Federation of Humane Societies 2011)

Sickness behaviour

Cluster of non-specific symptoms demonstrated by sick animals

inappropriate elimination, vomiting, diarrhea, decreased food and water intake, lethargy, somnolence, decreased or excessive grooming, decreased social interactions

Long term stress = cause of sickness behaviours

Why are cats stressed?

-> Lack of understanding of motivations

-> lack of provision for their needs as a species

Veterinarians – 1st line responders

Objective of study

My cat is fine

So stressed

Are owners able to notice and report stress related behaviour in their pet cats?

Hypothesis

Stress -> Behaviours -> Sickness behaviour theory

Predictions

1) Cats will exhibit stress behaviours

2) Levels of stress behaviours will correlate with physiological measurements of stress in cats

3) Owner-reported stress behaviour will correlate with measured stress behaviour in their pet cats

Methods- video cameras in every room

- n = 30

- Record all cat behaviour and score stress-related behaviours

- Fecal samples for physiological stress measurement

- Owner questionnaire

2 groups of cats – 2 stress levels

High stress Low stress

All cats in study

• Single cats• Indoor access only• Adult or geriatric• No physical illness• Receive yearly vet visits

Quantifying feline stress physiologically

Twice/week fecal samples tested for glucocorticoid levels

(Schatz and Palme 2001)

Quantifying feline stress behaviours

by watching all that cat video

Owner questionnaire

Let’s see… how often does Fluffy vomit on a scale of 1-5…

Solutions to cat stress

Veterinarian relationship

Based on the results of your questionnaire where you said Kitty spends a lot of time hiding, I would recommend making sure she has lots of vertical perches where she feels safe…

Happy cats and happy people

ReferencesPerrin T. 2009. The business of urban animals survey: the facts and statistics on companion animals in Canada. Can Vet Jour. 50(1):48-52.

Allen K, Shykoff BE, Izzo JL Jr. 2001. Pet ownership, but not ace inhibitor therapy, blunts home blood pressure responses to mental stress. Hypertension. 38(4):815-820.

Schatz S, Palme R. 2001. Measurement of fecal cortisol metabolites in cats and dogs: a non-invasive method for evaluating adrenocorticol function. Ves Res Commun. 25:271-287.