Cross-sectional survey of cat handling practices in veterinary clinics throughout Canada and the United States

Owner Perspectives of Cat Handling Techniques Used in the Veterinary Clinic

An online cross-sectional survey was used to assess cat owner attitudes towards 12 cat handling techniques used during veterinary appointments. Likert-scale questions were designed to assess level of agreement with handling techniques when the participants' cat is calm, fearful, or aggressive. We examined the influence of participant's cat attachment and demographic information on agreement towards common handling techniques. Overall, participants (n = 1754) disagreed with higher restraint techniques such as full body with scruffing, and agreed with lower restraint methods such as minimal restraint and use of towels, regardless of cat demeanor. Logistic regression models revealed that participants were more likely to disagree with the use of full body restraint with scruff on fearful cats if they had a higher pet attachment score (p = 0.002), were residents of the US (p = 0.003), or were between the ages of 51-70 years of age (p = 0.001). Owner agreement with techniques involving a lower degree of restraint during routine veterinary procedures provides further support for current recommendations encouraging handlers to use these techniques with cats, and to avoid methods requiring a higher degree of restraint.

2022 AAFP/ISFM Cat Friendly Veterinary Interaction Guidelines: Approach and Handling Techniques

PRACTICAL RELEVANCE

The '2022 AAFP/ISFM Cat Friendly Veterinary Interaction Guidelines: Approach and Handling Techniques' (hereafter the 'Cat Friendly Veterinary Interaction Guidelines') support veterinary professionals with feline interactions and handling to reduce the impact of fear and other protective (negative) emotions, in so doing enhancing feline welfare and In implementing these Guidelines, team satisfaction and cat caregiver confidence in the veterinary team will increase as the result of efficient examinations, better experience, more reliable diagnostic testing and improved feline wellbeing. Veterinary professionals will learn the importance of understanding and appropriately responding to the current emotional state of the cat and tailoring each visit to the individual.

CLINICAL CHALLENGES

Cats have evolved with emotions and behaviors that are necessary for their survival as both a predator and prey species. A clinical setting and the required examinations and procedures to meet their physical health needs can result in behavioral responses to protective emotions. Cat friendly interactions require understanding, interpreting and appropriately responding to cats' emotional states and giving them a perceived sense of control while performing the required assessment.

EVIDENCE BASE

These Guidelines have been created by a Task Force of experts convened by the American Association of Feline Practitioners and the International Society of Feline Medicine, based on an extensive literature review and, where evidence is lacking, the authors' experience.

ENDORSEMENTS

These Guidelines have been endorsed by a number of groups and organizations, as detailed on page 1127 and at catvets.com/interactions and icatcare.org/cat-friendly-guidelines.

Evaluation of clinical examination location on stress in cats: a randomized crossover trial

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this study was to quantify the effects of owner separation and physical examination location on fear, anxiety and stress (FAS) behavioral indicators in cats.

METHODS

The study was a prospective, non-blinded, randomized, two-period, two-treatment crossover trial. Healthy adult cats presenting for wellness or dental evaluations at a single veterinary teaching hospital received three physical examinations: a baseline assessment (owner present) followed by physical examinations in both a treatment area (owner absent [TAOA]) and an examination room (owner present [EROP]). The physical examination sequence order was randomized. Low-stress handling techniques were used for all examinations. The primary endpoints were heart rate (HR; beats per min [bpm]) and total FAS scores. HR was measured by auscultation, and FAS by five specific behaviors scored as 0/1 and summed for each assessment period.

RESULTS

Twenty-one healthy cats were enrolled. HR measured at entry (baseline) was a significant determinant of subsequent HR readings. HR measured during examinations conducted in both EROP and TAOA were elevated to levels indicative of stress (>180 bpm). HR was significantly higher for TAOA relative to EROP (30 bpm, 95% confidence interval 18-43; P <0.001). Behavioral FAS scores showed no statistically significant effects of sequence or room. FAS scores for TAOA assessments were clinically elevated relative to baseline (1.5 FAS, SE 0.7; P = 0.05); EROP FAS scores relative to baseline did not differ statistically (0.5 units, SE = 0.5; P = 0.43).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Owner separation coupled with physical examination location can result in clinically significant increases in perceived stress in cats, and compromise vital sign assessments. Whenever possible, physical examinations and procedures should take place with the owner present with separation from unfamiliar dogs and cats.