Effect of gentle stroking and vocalization on behaviour, mucosal immunity and upper respiratory disease in anxious shelter cats

Abstract

Emotional, behavioural, and health benefits of gentle stroking and vocalizations, otherwise known as gentling, have been documented for several species, but little is known about the effect of gentling on cats in stressful situations. In this study, 139 cats rated as anxious upon admission to an animal shelter were allocated to either a Gentled or Control group. Cats were gentled four times daily for 10 min over a period of 10 days, with the aid of a tool for cats that were too aggressive to handle. The cats' mood, or persistent emotional state, was rated daily for 10 d as Anxious, Frustrated or Content. Gentled cats were less likely to have negatively valenced moods (Anxious or Frustrated) than Control cats (Incidence Rate Ratio [IRR]=0.61 CI 0.42-0.88, P=0.007). Total secretory immunoglobulin A (S-IgA) was quantified from faeces by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Gentled cats had increased S-IgA (6.9 ± 0.7 logeμg/g) compared to Control cats (5.9 ± 0.5 logeμg/g) (P<0.0001). Within the Gentled group of cats, S-IgA values were higher for cats that responded positively to gentling (7.03 ± 0.6, logeμg/g), compared with those that responded negatively (6.14 ± 0.8, logeμg/g). Combined conjunctival and oropharyngeal swab specimens were tested by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (rPCR) for feline herpesvirus type 1 (FHV-1), feline calicivirus (FCV), Mycoplasma felis, Chlamydophila felis, and Bordetella bronchiseptica. There was a significant increase in shedding over time in Control cats (23%, 35%, 52% on days 1, 4 and 10, respectively), but not in gentled cats (32%, 26%, 30% on days 1, 4 and 10, respectively) (P=0.001). Onset of upper respiratory disease was determined by veterinary staff based on clinical signs, in particular ocular and/or nasal discharge. Control cats were 2.4 (CI: 1.35-4.15) times more likely to develop upper respiratory disease over time than gentled cats (P<0.0001). It is concluded that gentling anxious cats in animal shelters can induce positive affect (contentment), increase production of S-IgA, and reduce the incidence of upper respiratory disease.

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

“…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.…”

“…Specifically, cats were rated as Frustrated if they met the criteria for Frustration listed in Table 1 throughout the 1h observation period (Day 0). These behavioral 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 that study, 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.…”

“…Samples were analyzed for IgA concentrations, using the method described in Gourkow et al (2014a). In brief, samples were extracted and vortexed until homogenized.…”

“…In relation to this, it has been associated with a decrease in secretion of immunoglobulin A (s-IgA) in shelter cats (Gourkow et al 2014a). S-IgA is the most abundant mucosal antibody and is necessary for protection against pathogens that are inhaled or ingested (Stokes and Waly, 2006), particularly in multi-cat environments where such pathogens are found in high concentration (Pedersen et al, 2004).…”

Cross-modal individual recognition in wild African lions

“…On our measures of searching behaviour, lions clearly responded to trials in which the familiar call did not match the familiar lion previously seen by spending more time moving and looking in the direction of the call before resting again. In addition, lions engaged in increased allo-rubbing with conspecifics following the incongruent trial, which may function as a stress-alleviating 'displacement' behaviour [13,14]. While other potential displacement measures did not differ between the treatments, it is likely that different species have different displacement signatures, and a wider rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org Biol.…”