Feline Feelings: do owners notice stress-related behaviour?
Transcript of Feline Feelings: do owners notice stress-related behaviour?
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.