Methods of Assessment of the Welfare of Shelter Cats: A Review

Abstract

At any moment, there are millions of cats housed in foster care facilities for abandoned and stray animals for various reasons worldwide. Care, management and regulation among these facilities differ. Moreover, shelters can never substitute the full comfort of a good home for the animal, and the welfare of cats in shelters is a subject of discussion in many respects. Cats are animals sensitive to changes; for most of them, placement in a shelter is a stressful experience because of changes in routine, environment and the presence of other animals. Stress is reflected in changes in behaviour, causes fluctuations in physiological values and disrupts the immune system, which is a predisposition to the development or reactivation of disease. Evaluation of the presence and intensity of negative impacts is possible through the use of evaluation tools based on indicators that help set the environment and management of keeping so as to disrupt the quality of life as little as possible. Although a comprehensive and valid welfare tool that would evaluate animal-based and at the same time resource-based (or management-based) indicators of cats in shelters is not currently available, it is possible to use partial evaluation of individual welfare indicators to assess welfare. This review aims to provide the readers with an insight into current options of assessment of the welfare of cats in shelters with an emphasis on behavioural, physiological and health indicators with an application in both practical and scientific contexts.

Changes in Health Indicators of Welfare in Group-Housed Shelter Cats

“…In general, the goal of the facilities providing care for abandoned and stray animals is not only to ensure as many adoptions as possible and to return the animals to their original owners but also to provide a temporary accommodation that meets the animals' requirements in terms of suitable nutrition, housing, healthcare, and human contact. Shelters are not facilities capable of providing an ideal long-term environment for animals and they do not fully substitute a new home (1); the quality of care provided is a critical aspect of welfare in many shelters (2). The chances of meeting the natural requirements of cats can vary considerably across different types of facilities (3).…”

“…The chances of meeting the natural requirements of cats can vary considerably across different types of facilities (3). Some countries (e.g., the Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, Germany and Greece) (1,4,5) have implemented no-kill shelter policies in their national legislation. In these shelters, an animal cannot be euthanized due to shelter overpopulation or due to the animal's low adoption appeal to potential new owners, which is typically the case of older and handicapped cats (6).…”

Cognitive and Composite Behavioural Welfare Assessments of Pet Cats between the Ages of 9–22 Months, Living in Single and Multi-Cat Households

“…Measuring the welfare of domestic cats is a growing area of research that has thus far predominately been applied to controlled environments such as shelters or research facilities [ 11 ]. Methods of welfare assessment for cats in different social environments have mainly involved changes in physiological and behavioural parameters during or after a perceived challenge.…”

“…One limitation of the current welfare assessment tools developed for use in cats is the difficulty in identifying the valence (positive or negative) of the animal’s emotional state [ 11 ]. Judgment biases have been used to evaluate welfare state based on the valence of emotions, since animals experiencing putatively poor welfare, such as being housed in unpredictable environments or frequently being exposed to ‘unpleasant’ experiences, have a more ‘pessimistic’ reaction to ambiguous stimuli in judgment bias tests (JBT) [ 23 , 24 , 25 ].…”

Effects of Human Presence and Voice on the Behaviour of Shelter Dogs and Cats: A Preliminary Study

“…Interactions with humans such as stroking or play, but also passive human presence, can decrease the stress levels caused by a novel environment in dogs [12,13]. For cats, offering space dedicated to hiding and climbing and scratching surfaces was shown to be particularly beneficial [14], and cognitive enrichment also has positive effects on cat behaviour and welfare [10,15,16]. In general, environmental enrichment in a shelter environment should allow the animals to perform species-specific behaviours that fulfil their needs, helping them to cope with the stressors of the shelter and reduce abnormal and stereotypic behaviours performed as a consequence of stress [17].…”