Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Hair cortisol levels in cats with and without behavior problems
By Wojtaś, Justyna·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2023·Department of Animal Ethology and Wildlife Management·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Hair cortisol levels in cats with and without behavioural problems.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study found that cats with behavioral problems, like eliminating outside the litter box or showing aggression, had higher levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, in their hair. The research included 55 cats, and it showed that indoor cats generally had more stress than outdoor cats. This suggests that stress can lead to undesirable behaviors in cats, especially those living indoors. If your cat is acting out, it might be worth discussing their environment and stress levels with your veterinarian to find ways to help them feel more comfortable.
People also search for: why is my cat peeing outside the litter box · cat aggression towards owner · how to reduce stress in indoor cats
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to analyse hair cortisol levels in cats whose owners had reported behavioural problems and undesirable behaviour. In addition, feline hair cortisol levels were compared between sexes, for indoor and outdoor cats and also for cats living in single or multi-cat households. METHODS: In total, 55 cats participated in the study, including 31 females and 24 males from various households. The cats belonged to 25 different owners who answered a questionnaire survey. The biological material used for the research were 2-3 cm fragments of hair removed at the level of the skin with scissors by the owners from the cats' lumbosacral area. The cortisol concentration in the samples was determined with the DRG Salivary Cortisol HS ELISA. Statistical analysis of the results was performed with Statistica 13.3. RESULTS: A tendency toward lower cortisol levels was found in outdoor cats vs indoor cats (U = 251.5, = 0.066). It was also found that the cats exhibiting behavioural problems (eg, house soiling [eliminating outside the litter box]) or aggressive behaviour towards household members had statistically significantly higher hair cortisol levels (U = 162.0 [ = 0.027] and U = 9.0 [ = 0.040], respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: High levels of stress in cats can affect their interactions with other cats and with humans. The incidence of undesirable behaviour was observed more frequently in indoor cats. Significantly higher cortisol levels were found in cats that eliminated outside the litter box or that showed aggression towards their owners.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36745090/