Demographics and health care profiles of dogs and cats associated with the socioeconomic profile of their tutors in areas assisted by Family Health Strategies in Brazil

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the demographic and healthcare situation of dogs and cats owned by families assisted by the Family Health Strategy (FHS), from Santa Maria/RS, Brazil. This research was a cross-sectional and population-based study developed by applying a questionnaire to residents in the 16 FHS areas of the city. This was the first study addressing pet animal conditions in the FHS area. A total of 414 households were studied, and 88.5% of them had pets (dogs and/or cats), with an average of 2.2 dogs and 0.8 cats per household. Only 18.4% (228/1.241) of the animals were sterilized (dogs, 15.1% [135/891]; cats, 26.7% [93/348]). When considering the number of dogs, households with one resident had fewer dogs than households with two or more residents (p=0.006). The level of education and family income were not associated with the number of animals (p>0.001). However, higher levels of education and family income were associated with the sterilization of dogs, veterinary monitoring, vaccination, and treatment of ectoparasites in dogs and cats (p<0.0001). Additionally, the higher family income was associated with a higher frequency of endoparasite treatment (p<0.05). The study shows a high average number of pets per household in FSH areas compared to the average household population as well as a lack of veterinary care, making it essential to promote responsible custody.

Characterization of the Domestic Cat Population of Uruguay: Breeds, Coat Colors, Hair Length, Lifestyle, Sex and Spay/Neuter Status According to Guardian Report

“…This study provides the first estimates of cat sex frequencies in Uruguay, and the first carried out at the level of the entire country in Latin America. The fact that in Uruguay, the female sex is more frequent than the male sex in cats coincides with some reports from other countries (Australia: [10]; Italy: [11]; Brazil; [27,28] and Ethiopia: [50]), while other studies have found no differences in the frequency of male and female cats (Brazil: [44]; As for the presence of cat breeds in Uruguay, the most common breed is the Siamese (86%), with the remaining 14% being distributed among the Persian (8.9%), Ragdoll (1.4%), Maine Coon (1.4%), Himalayan (0.7%), Bombay (0.7%), and Bengal (0.7%) breeds (Chi-Square = 623, df6, p < 0.01). There was no significant association between breeds and sex (Chi-Square = 7.56, df6, p = 0.27).…”

“…This suggests that the frequency of cats by sex can vary according to the different geographical This study provides the first estimates of cat sex frequencies in Uruguay, and the first carried out at the level of the entire country in Latin America. The fact that in Uruguay, the female sex is more frequent than the male sex in cats coincides with some reports from other countries (Australia: [10]; Italy: [11]; Brazil; [27,28] and Ethiopia: [50]), while other studies have found no differences in the frequency of male and female cats (Brazil: [44]; EE.UU. : [51]; Australia and New Zealand: [33]; Great Britain [32]) or that males were more frequent than females (Colombia: [41]; Chile: [40]; EE.UU: [52]; Netherlands [3]).…”

“…There is little information on the percentage of neutered cats in Latin America, especially in South America. The frequency of neutered or spayed cats in Uruguay is greater than reported in some Brazilian cities [ 28 , 39 ]. In addition, the percentage of neutered or spayed cats in Uruguay is greater than in some countries, such as Italy [ 11 ], Ireland [ 55 ], United Kingdom [ 32 ] or Ethiopia [ 50 ], and less than in other countries, such as the USA [ 52 ], Australia and New Zealand [ 33 ].…”

“…However, even within one country, data collected in different states produced contradictory results. A study conducted by Canatto et al [ 27 ] in the state of São Paulo found that cats were more frequently housed indoors than outdoors, while a study conducted by Felipetto et al [ 28 ] in the State of Rio Grande do Sul and a study by Trapp et al [ 29 ] conducted in the State of Paraná (city of Jaguapitã), found that more cats lived outdoors than indoors in these regions. However, to date, there are no studies that have been carried out at the level of a whole country in Latin America.…”

“…Despite the importance of what the cat represents as a pet for humans, there is a lack of general information at the country level in Latin America on basic elements, such as the most frequent breeds, hair length, varieties of coat colors, and lifestyle, among other features. Although there are few studies on cat demography in South America, these were carried out at the state or city level and not at the country level (such as in the State of São Paulo or Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil: [ 27 , 28 , 38 , 39 ]; in Santiago city, Chile: [ 40 ]; in Bucaramanga city, Colombia: [ 41 ]). These studies also evaluated targeted elements within cat populations, such as the frequency of males and females, whether they were neutered or spayed, or the proportion of animals in relation to humans.…”