Physiological Assessment of the Health and Welfare of Domestic Cats—An Exploration of Factors Affecting Urinary Cortisol and Oxytocin

Abstract

Physiological samples are beneficial in assessing the health and welfare of cats. However, most studies have been conducted in specialized environments, such as shelters or laboratories, and have not focused on cats living in domestic settings. In addition, most studies have assessed physiological stress states in cats based on cortisol, and none have quantified positive indicators, such as oxytocin. Here, we collected urine samples from 49 domestic cats and quantified urinary cortisol, oxytocin, and creatinine using ELISA. To identify factors influencing hormone levels, owners responded to questionnaires regarding their housing environment, individual cat information, and the frequency of daily interactions with their cats. Using principal component analysis, principal component scores for daily interactions were extracted. These results showed that the frequency of tactile and auditory signal-based communication by owners was positively correlated with the mean concentration of oxytocin in the urine. Additionally, this communication was more frequent in younger cats or cats that had experienced a shorter length of cohabitation with the owner. However, no factors associated with urinary cortisol concentration were identified. Our study indicates that interactions and relationships with the owner influence the physiological status of cats and suggests that oxytocin is a valuable parameter for assessing their health and welfare.

Systematic review: pain, cognition, and cardioprotection—unpacking oxytocin’s contributions in a sport context

“…Most of the time animal studies control for auditory input in relation to oxytocin. At the time of writing this review, there is not enough information about the changes due to said input considering this neuropeptide, but it seems that the relationship between oxytocin and auditory input is species-dependent, namely, SD rats, wolves (a strong hierarchical order), cats (somewhat owner-dependent response), and zebra finch (mesotocin-spatial location of birds among each other) behaved differently ( Watts et al, 2022 ; Baran et al, 2016 ; Fitzpatrick and Morrow, 2020 ; Hosgorler et al, 2020 ; Nagasawa et al, 2022 ; Wirobski et al, 2023 ). Humans commonly use singing in many rituals, and it is part of every culture throughout the world.…”

“…Oxytocin is significantly correlated with perceived social support, playing a role in stress regulation, and promoting faster recovery ( Pressman et al, 2013 ; Heinrichs et al, 2003 ). Positive verbal and tactile interactions facilitated the secretion of oxytocin in both humans and animals ( Rassovsky et al, 2019 ; Nagasawa et al, 2022 ). The absence of social peers in rats increases the chances of cocaine addiction.…”

Effects of Interactions with Cats in Domestic Environment on the Psychological and Physiological State of Their Owners: Associations among Cortisol, Oxytocin, Heart Rate Variability, and Emotions

“…Rather than revealing the potential principal component structure, we aimed to reduce variables to create an overall synthetic variable. Therefore, PCA was performed without rotation [ 31 ]. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was used to ascertain whether principal component scores were associated with psychological and physiological variation in participants.…”

Understanding the level of animal welfare and associated factors among cat owners in Banyuwangi, Indonesia

“…Owners must supervise their pets to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases from other animals [26]. According to Nagasawa et al [27], 5-10 min of daily cat play can help decrease behavior problems. Interacting effectively during playtime enhances a beneficial bond between owners and their animals [28].…”