Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How cat facial pheromones affect stress at home and vet visits
By Conti, Laura Mc et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2017·Vila Velha University (UVV), Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of environment and a feline facial pheromone analogue on physiologic and behavioral measures in cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 30 healthy adult cats was studied to see how they reacted to stress in two different environments: at home and in a veterinary hospital. The cats showed higher heart rates and respiratory rates when at the hospital compared to their home environment, indicating they were more stressed there. Researchers also tested a feline facial pheromone product to see if it could help reduce stress, but it did not have any noticeable effect. This study highlights how changes in environment and handling can impact a cat's stress levels, which is important for understanding their health during vet visits.
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Abstract
Objectives This study assessed behavioral and physiologic stress parameters in cats placed in two environments: home and the veterinary hospital. With a widely used scale, several parameters were assessed, including respiratory rate (RR), heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), vagosympathetic responses using calculated intervals (heart rate variability [HRV]10, HRV20 and vasovagal tonus index [VVTI]) and 'stress attitude', such as struggling, vocalization and agitation during handling. In addition, we evaluated whether a feline facial pheromone analogue (FFPA) had an effect on any of these measures in either environment. Methods Using a placebo and a pheromone substance, we evaluated 30 adult and healthy cats at home and in veterinary hospitals. Statistical analyses were performed using the Shapiro-Wilk, Kruskal-Wallis, and Dunn or ANOVA and Tukey tests, as well as Spearman's correlation ( P <0.05). Results We found that exposure to FFPA did not reduce the effects of stress. Some parameters presented differences with regard to environment: the RR was 45 and 70 breaths/min and stress attitude score was 1.3 and 0.0 for cats evaluated at home and at the hospital, respectively. The HR and two vagosympathetic responses were also different between the two environments, with a HR of 160 and 187 beats/min, HRV10 of 14.24 and 14.00, and HRV20 of 14.89 and 14.65 in cats at home and the hospital, respectively. There was no variation in SBP and VVTI parameters between the environments. Conclusions and relevance Exposure to FFPA does not reduce the physiologic and behavioral changes measured in this study. Furthermore, environmental change, physical restraint and manipulation during the physical examination alter RR, HR, HRV and behavior but not SBP and VVTI. This study is relevant because physiologic and behavioral stress can affect the quality and interpretation of physical examination results. This study presents detailed data that show the effects of environment and manipulation on such parameters. Furthermore, this study shows a lack of effect of FFPA on any of these parameters.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26662036/