Feline Feelings: do owners notice stress-related behaviour?
Transcript of Feline Feelings: do owners notice stress-related behaviour?
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FELINE FEELINGS
Do owners notice stress-related behaviour?Presentation by Jennifer Chivers
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40% of households in Canada
Over 10 million cats
most popular pet in Canada
(Perrin 2009)
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Mental and physical benefits of cats
(Allen et al. 2007)
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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)
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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
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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
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Veterinarians – 1st line responders
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Objective of study
My cat is fine
So stressed
Are owners able to notice and report stress related behaviour in their pet cats?
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Hypothesis
Stress -> Behaviours -> Sickness behaviour theory
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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
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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
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2 groups of cats – 2 stress levels
High stress Low stress
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All cats in study
• Single cats• Indoor access only• Adult or geriatric• No physical illness• Receive yearly vet visits
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Quantifying feline stress physiologically
Twice/week fecal samples tested for glucocorticoid levels
(Schatz and Palme 2001)
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Quantifying feline stress behaviours
by watching all that cat video
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Owner questionnaire
Let’s see… how often does Fluffy vomit on a scale of 1-5…
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Solutions to cat stress
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Veterinarian relationship
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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…
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Happy cats and happy people
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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.