Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Behavioral awareness in the feline consultation: Understanding physical and emotional health.
- Journal:
- Journal of feline medicine and surgery
- Year:
- 2018
- Authors:
- Horwitz, Debra F & Rodan, Ilona
- Affiliation:
- Veterinary Behavior Consultations · United States
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
This review highlights how important it is for veterinarians and pet owners to notice changes in a cat's behavior, as these changes can indicate physical or emotional health issues. Cats often don't show signs of illness or stress in obvious ways, making it challenging to identify what might be wrong. The authors emphasize that both medical problems and behavioral issues can happen at the same time, and understanding this connection is crucial for effective treatment. They also stress the need for veterinarians to take a detailed history to differentiate between behavioral signs and medical conditions, as both can influence each other. Overall, the review suggests that recognizing and addressing stress in cats is vital for their health and well-being.
Abstract
UNLABELLED: Practical relevance: Awareness of the strong connection between observed behavior and physical and emotional health is essential for patient welfare. It is often a change in the individual's normal behavior that informs owners and veterinarians of the possibility of illness, pain and stress/distress. There is ample evidence in the feline literature that medical and behavioral health go hand in hand. In most feline cases, medical and behavioral conditions contribute concurrently to clinical signs. Clinical challenges: Our domestic cats do not express change in physiological and emotional states in a way that is easily recognized. Therefore, it can be difficult to diagnose medical and behavioral illnesses and ascertain contributions from each one to the final diagnosis. When various levels of stress are present, especially distress, this compromises behavioral and physical health, and influences treatment outcomes. AIMS: This review is intended to help veterinarians recognize physical and behavioral changes associated with acute stress through to chronic distress, including stress-associated diseases. An emphasis on thorough history-taking will allow the clinician to ascertain which signs are behavioral and which are medical, with the understanding that they are not mutually exclusive. Equally important is the contribution of pain, chronic disease and poor environmental situations to behavioral changes and the expression of medical disorders. Evidence base: There is an increasing amount of evidence that stress and distress have profound effects on feline health, behavior and welfare. The authors have drawn on a substantial body of published veterinary research in producing this review.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29706091/