Associations of behaviour with secretory immunoglobulin A and cortisol in domestic cats during their first week in an animal shelter

Gourkow, Nadine; LaVoy, Alora; Dean, Gregg A.; Phillips, Clive J. C.

doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2013.11.006

Cited by 58 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…The small number of cats rated as frustrated upon admission in this study (15 cats out of 250, 6%) may suggest that the problem of frustration is not pervasive in admitted shelter cats, however, cats can become frustrated later during their stay even when rated as Content or Anxious upon admission (Gourkow et al, 2014a;Gourkow et al, 2014c). Moreover, sparse reports of frustration in shelter cat studies may be due to the nature of this problem.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 68%

“…Confinement has also been proposed as a risk factor for health issues such as cystitis (Cooper et al, 1983;Jones et al, 1997;Buffington, 2002;Saevik et al, 2011), type 2 diabetes mellitus (Slingerland et al, 2009) and inflammatory bowel disease (Zoran and Buffington, 2011). Although sparse, there is evidence of frustration-related behaviors in shelter cats, expressed as pacing, destructive behavior, persistent vocalization, bar biting and redirected aggression (McCune, 1992;Kessler and Turner, 1997;Gourkow et al, 2014c).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effect of cognitive enrichment on behavior, mucosal immunity and upper respiratory disease of shelter cats rated as frustrated on arrival

Gourkow

Phillips

2016

Preventive Veterinary Medicine

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Please cite this article as: Gourkow, Nadine, Phillips, Clive J.C., Effect of cognitive enrichment on behavior, mucosal immunity and upper respiratory disease of shelter cats rated as frustrated on arrival.Preventive Veterinary Medicine http://dx.doi.org/10. 1016/j.prevetmed.2016.07.012 This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. Highlights  Regular cognitive enrichment of frustrated cats -a human teaching them a taskimproved their welfare  Treated cats were more content than cats not taught the task  Treated cats had increased concentrations of immunoglobulin A in their feces  Cats that responded well to the treatment had the biggest increase in concentrations of immunoglobulin A in their feces  Treated cats had less respiratory disease 2 ABSTRACT Acquisition of resources and opportunity to engage in natural behaviors has been shown to reduce frustration-related behaviors and enhance health in nondomestic felids kept in zoos, but little is known about whether there are similar effects in domestic cats living in confinement in animal shelters. Fifteen cats rated as Frustrated during the first hour of confinement to a cage at an animal shelter were assigned to either a Treatment (n=7) or Control (n=8) group. Treatment cats were taken from their cages to a separate room four times daily for 10 min each time over a 10 d period, where they took part in training sessions to learn a novel behavior (paw-hand contact with a researcher). Changes in emotional states and mucosal immune response were evaluated over 10 days. Infectious status was determined upon admission and incidence of upper respiratory was determined up to day 40 based on clinical signs. Treated cats were more likely to be rated as Content than Control cats and had greater concentrations of S-IgA (537 µg/g) in feces than Control cats (101 µg/g). Within the Treatment group, cats that responded positively had greater concentrations of S-IgA (925 µg/g) than those that responded negatively (399 µg/g).Control cats were more likely to develop respiratory disease over time compared to cats that received treatment (Hazard Ratio: 2.37, Confidence Interval: 1.35-4.15). It is concluded that there is prima facie evidence that cognitive enrichment of cats exhibiting frustration-related behaviors can elicit positive affect (contentment), stimulate secretion of IgA and reduce incidence of respiratory disease, which is worthy of further study.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 68%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of cognitive enrichment on behavior, mucosal immunity and upper respiratory disease of shelter cats rated as frustrated on arrival

Gourkow

Phillips

2016

Preventive Veterinary Medicine

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“…Specifically, cats were rated as Content if they met the criteria for Contentment listed in Table 2 during the 1 h observation period (Day 0), and showed a positive response during the approach test (Table 3). These behavioural indicators had been previously validated with physiological correlates, S-IgA and cortisol, in 34 cats during their first week at an animal shelter (Gourkow et al, 2014a). In brief, 37 behaviors used in other studies for the assessment of welfare in shelter and household cats were initially selected as candidates for an index of emotions.…”

Section: Behavioural Observation On Admission (Day 0)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research with cats suggests a mechanism and cross species validity, since cats that are Content even in stressful situations show a higher level of secretory immunoglobulin A (s-IgA) than those that are Anxious or Frustrated (Gourkow, 2014a), and treatments that incidence of URD (Cohen, 2005;Hewson-Bower and Drummond, 1996;Hucklebridge et al, 2000;Segerstorm andMiller, 2004 Taniguchi, 2007). The growing awareness of the importance of positive affect on respiratory health in shelter cats is reflected in current guidelines and standards for the care of animals in shelters (Newbury et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Effect of interactions with humans on behaviour, mucosal immunity and upper respiratory disease of shelter cats rated as contented on arrival

Gourkow

Phillips

2015

Preventive Veterinary Medicine

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Sustained positive affect may decrease vulnerability to upper respiratory infections in cats admitted to a shelter. Incidence of upper respiratory infections was examined in cats rated as Content upon admission to an animal shelter when provided with or without treatment to sustain contentment. Ninety-six cats rated as Content upon admission were provided with either human interaction, including petting, playing, and grooming, in four 10min sessions/d for 10 days or were exposed to a control treatment of a human standing in front of the cage with eyes averted for the same period. Changes in emotional state and mucosal immune responses were measured daily in treated and control groups. Infectious status was determined upon admission and on days 4 and 10 using combined conjunctival and oropharyngeal swab specimens tested by quantitative real-time PCR for feline herpes virus type 1, feline calicivirus, Mycoplasma felis, Chlamydophila felis, and Bordetella bronchiseptica. The onset of upper respiratory disease (URD) was determined by veterinary staff based on clinical signs, including ocular or nasal discharge. Treated cats were more likely to remain Content (Incident Rate Ratio [IRR]:1.13, Confidence Interval: 0.98-1.30, P <0.0001) and less likely to be rated as Anxious or Frustrated than Control cats over a 10 day period (IRR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.42-0.88, P =0.007). Feline secretory IgA (S-IgA) quantified in faeces by ELISA techniques, was greater for Treated than Control cats (1451 Vs 846μg/g). Within the Treatment group, S-IgA was greater for cats that sustained Contentment throughout the study period compared to cats that became Anxious or Frustrated (1846 Vs 1394μg/g). An increasing proportion of Control than Treated cats shed pathogens over time (Control 22%, 36%, 61%; Treated 35%, 26%, 32% on d 1, 4 and 10, respectively; P =0.006). Control cats were more likely to develop URD than Treated cats (HR 2.9, CI: 1.30-6.67, P =0.01). Cats that responded positively to Treatment had a lower incidence of URD than negative responders (P =0.02). We conclude that the provision of human interaction treatments to shelter cats can facilitate sustained contentment, enhance secretion of S-IgA, and reduce incidence of URD.

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“…Psychological stress, pain, and disease can also reduce grooming behavior and lead to a poor coat condition (Casey and Bradshaw, 2005;Bennett and Morton, 2009;Gourkow et al, 2014b). Overall, acute, and chronic stressors might lead to loss of body weight and poor coat and skin condition.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Assessment of behavior and physical condition of shelter cats as animal-based indicators of welfare

Arhant

Wogritsch

Troxler

2015

Journal of Veterinary Behavior

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Associations of behaviour with secretory immunoglobulin A and cortisol in domestic cats during their first week in an animal shelter

Cited by 58 publications

References 67 publications

Effect of cognitive enrichment on behavior, mucosal immunity and upper respiratory disease of shelter cats rated as frustrated on arrival

Effect of cognitive enrichment on behavior, mucosal immunity and upper respiratory disease of shelter cats rated as frustrated on arrival

Effect of interactions with humans on behaviour, mucosal immunity and upper respiratory disease of shelter cats rated as contented on arrival

Assessment of behavior and physical condition of shelter cats as animal-based indicators of welfare

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