Sickness behaviors in response to unusual external events in healthy cats and cats with feline interstitial cystitis

Abstract

Objective To compare sickness behaviors (SB) in response to unusual external events (UEE) in healthy cats with those of cats with feline interstitial cystitis (FIC). Design Prospective observational study. Animals 12 healthy cats and 20 donated cats with FIC. Procedures Cats were housed in a vivarium. Sickness behaviors referable to the gastrointestinal and urinary tracts, the skin, and behavior problems were recorded by a single observer for 77 weeks. Instances of UEE (eg, changes in caretakers, vivarium routine, and lack of interaction with the investigator) were identified during 11 of the 77 weeks. No instances of UEE were identified during the remaining 66 weeks, which were considered control weeks. Results An increase in age and exposure to UEE, but not disease status, significantly increased total number of SB when results were controlled for other factors. Evaluation of individual SB revealed a protective effect of food intake for healthy males. An increase in age conferred a small increase in relative risk (RR) for upper gastrointestinal tract signs (RR, 1.2) and avoidance behavior (1.7). Exposure to UEE significantly increased the RR for decreases in food intake (RR, 9.3) and for no eliminations in 24 hours (6.4). Exposure to UEE significantly increased the RR for defecation (RR, 9.8) and urination (1.6) outside the litter box. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance SB, including some of the most commonly observed abnormalities in client-owned cats, were observed after exposure to UEE in both groups. Because healthy cats and cats with FIC were comparably affected by UEE, clinicians should consider the possibility of exposure to UEE in cats evaluated for these signs.

Understanding feline idiopathic cystitis

“…There have been suggestions that early life experiences may be involved in modifying stress responses and manifestations of disease (Buffington 2009), and it has also been suggested that FIC may be one of a number of stress-related disease manifestations seen in some cats that include gastrointestinal, respiratory, dermatological and behavioural signs (Buffington 2004, 2011 Buffington and others 2006a, 2006b). However, further work is needed to investigate these hypotheses and, interestingly, in a study that deliberately exposed cats with long-standing recurrent FIC to stressful stimuli no signs of FIC recurring were observed (Stella and others 2011). …”

Stress—Its Effects on Health and Behavior

“…32,33 Cats faced with unexpected changes to their management may decrease appetite and water intake, avoid elimination for 24 hours (potentially increasing the risk of constipation), and defecate outside the litter tray. 34 In general, food intake and stress seem to be negatively correlated in cats, 28 whereas in dogs, associations have been made between increased stress and coprophagia 35 and inflammatory bowel disease. 36 The Integument…”

Declawing has no effect on biting behavior but does affect adoption outcomes for domestic cats in an animal shelter

“…With regards to the exploratory analyses, the risks of biting, lack of adoption, and euthanasia could potentially be mitigated by interventions designed to decrease stress in the shelter environment, such as minimizing loud noises and intrinsically unpleasant conditions, consistency with human caretakers, consistency with diet, and hiding and perching areas (Carlstead et al, 1993;Stella, Lord, & Buffington, 2011;Vinke, Godijn, & van der Leij, 2014).…”