Stress and Feline Health

Interstitial cystitis-an imbalance of risk and protective factors?

Interstitial cystitis (IC) presents as a chronic pain condition with variable combinations of symptoms depending on the species and individual patient. It is diagnosed by the presence of lower urinary tract signs and symptoms in combination with a variety of comorbid health problems, a history of life adversities, and the absence of other conditions that could cause the lower urinary tract signs. IC occurs naturally in humans and cats as a dimensional condition, with patients presenting with mild, moderate, and severe symptoms. Most patients appear to recover without specific treatment. A number of rodent models of IC have been used to study its causes and treatments. Unfortunately, current therapies generally fail to ameliorate IC symptoms long-term. The recent classification of IC as a chronic primary pain disorder calls for a rethinking of current clinical and research approaches to it. Beginning when a patient encounters a clinician, precipitating, perpetuating, and palliating risk factors can be addressed until a cause or reliably effective therapy is identified, and identifying predisposing and preventive factors can inform epidemiological studies and health promotion interventions. Predisposing, precipitating, and perpetuating risk factors, including environmental, psychological, and biological, increase the activity of the central threat response system (CTRS), which plays a clinically important role in IC symptoms. Studies in cats and rodent models have revealed that environmental enrichment (EE), in the absence of bladder-directed therapies, leads to amelioration of IC symptoms, implying a central role for the CTRS in symptom precipitation and perpetuation. Conceptually moving the source of IC pain to the brain as a motivational state rather than one resulting from peripheral nociceptive input offers both clinicians and researchers novel opportunities to improve care for patients with IC and for researchers to use more ecologically valid rodent models. It may even be that IC results from an excess of risk to protective factors, making this imbalance a targetable cause rather than a consequence of IC.

Correlation between aggression at the veterinary clinic and problem behaviors at home for cats in the USA

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the study was to determine whether cats that exhibit aggression during veterinary visits are more likely to have behavior problems at home.

METHODS

An online, anonymous, cross-sectional survey was developed and distributed to residents in the USA who were aged over 18 years and who were the primary owners of at least one cat. The survey collected information about cat and household factors, and utilized a validated questionnaire instrument for obtaining behavioral information of pet cats.

RESULTS

Aggression at the veterinary clinic was reported in 42.6% of the cats. The frequency of aggression exhibited at the veterinary clinic was lower in cats that lived in multi-cat households. Most cats did not receive medications intended to reduce fear, anxiety and/or pain before veterinary visits. Aggression at the veterinary clinic was positively associated with behavior problems at home, including stranger-directed aggression, owner-directed aggression, resistance to restraint, familiar cat aggression, dog-directed aggression, house-soiling, separation-related behaviors and scratching claws on inappropriate surfaces indoors.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Cats that exhibit aggression at the veterinary clinic are more likely to exhibit aggression and anxiety-related behaviors at home. Veterinarians should screen cats that exhibit aggression at the veterinary clinic for behavior problems at home to institute prompt diagnosis and treatment.

Knee Joint Osteoarthritis in Overweight Cats: The Clinical and Radiographic Findings

Despite a high prevalence of osteoarthritis (OA) reported in the domesticated cat population, studies on feline knee joint OA are scarcer. Knee joint OA is a painful, age-related, chronic degenerative joint disease that significantly affects cats' activity and quality of life. In dogs and humans, one may consider overweight as a risk factor for the development and progression of knee joint OA; therefore, this study aims to assess the severity of knee joint OA in the body-weight-related groups of cats concerning clinical symptoms and radiographic signs. The study was conducted on sixty-four (n = 64) cats with confirmed OA. The demographic data on sex, neutering, age, and breed were collected. Then, the body condition score (BCS) was assessed, and each cat was allocated to the underweight, normal-weight, or overweight group. Within clinical symptoms, joint pain, joint swelling, joint deformities, lameness, reluctance to move, and apathy were graded. Based on the radiographic signs, minor OA, mild OA, moderate OA, and severe OA were scored. Prevalence and co-occurrence of the studied variables were then assessed. Joint pain was elicited in 20-31% of the OA-affected joints, joint deformities in 21-30%, and lameness in 20-54%, with no differences between weight-related groups. Severe OA was detected in 10-16% of the OA-affected joints, with no differences between weight-related groups. Severe OA in feline knee joints appears with similar frequency in overweight, underweight, and normal-weight cats. However, the general prevalence of clinical symptoms and radiographic signs is different in overweight cats.

Comparative Assessment of Heart Rate Variability Obtained via Ambulatory ECG and Polar Heart Rate Monitors in Healthy Cats: A Pilot Study

Chronic exposure to stressful environments can negatively impact cats' health and welfare, affecting behavioral, autonomic, endocrine, and immune function, as with cats in shelters. Low-stress handling practices likely improve shelter cat welfare, but data supporting improved outcomes remain limited. Cardiac activity, particularly heart rate variability (HRV), is an indicator of stress and emotional state in humans and non-human animals, tracking important body functions associated with stress responsiveness, environmental adaptability, mental, and physical health. HRV studies in cats are limited, involving mainly anesthetized or restrained cats. This pilot study tested the feasibility of obtaining HRV data from unrestrained cats, using a commercially available cardiac monitoring system (Polar H10 with chest strap), compared with data from a traditional ambulatory electrocardiogram. Simultaneous data for the two systems were obtained for five adult cats. Overall, the Polar H10 monitor assessments of HRV were lower than the true HRV assessment by ambulatory ECG, except for SDNN. Correlation between the two systems was weak. Possible reasons for the lack of agreement between the two methods are discussed. At this time, our results do not support the use of Polar H10 heart rate monitors for studies of HRV in cats.