Guardians' Perceptions of Cats' Welfare and Behavior Regarding Visiting Veterinary Clinics.
To assess the welfare of cats at the veterinary clinic and how caregivers and veterinarians affect it, a survey of Italian cat guardians (n = 1,111) was conducted using a 28-item multichoice questionnaire. Most cats showed impaired welfare during all stages of a clinic visit: before entering, in the waiting room, moving to the examination room, on the examination table, and after returning home. A relationship was found between welfare states in each stage. Stress worsened with further experience and had negative effects on traveling and handling in other situations. Restraint, pain, and anxiety led to aggression toward vets and guardians. Guardians showed a positive attitude toward their cats' health and welfare, and the veterinarians' behavior toward the cats was a reason for changing the veterinarian. One in 10 veterinarians examined the cat immediately, without stroking, talking, or offering food. However, the use of food was effective only if cats were not already stressed. Educating guardians and veterinarians to minimize stress during every stage of a clinic visit is the best approach to improving welfare for cats visiting the clinic.
a Department of Veterinary Sciences , University of Pisa , Pisa , Italy.|c ETOVET (Group of Research in Veterinary Ethology and Physiology) , Pisa , Italy.
Chiara
C
Mariti
b Queen Mother Hospital for Small Animals, Royal Veterinary College , North Mymms , United Kingdom.
Jonathan E
JE
Bowen
c ETOVET (Group of Research in Veterinary Ethology and Physiology) , Pisa , Italy.
Sonia
S
Campa
c ETOVET (Group of Research in Veterinary Ethology and Physiology) , Pisa , Italy.
Gabriele
G
Grebe
a Department of Veterinary Sciences , University of Pisa , Pisa , Italy.|c ETOVET (Group of Research in Veterinary Ethology and Physiology) , Pisa , Italy.
Claudio
C
Sighieri
a Department of Veterinary Sciences , University of Pisa , Pisa , Italy.|c ETOVET (Group of Research in Veterinary Ethology and Physiology) , Pisa , Italy.
Angelo
A
Gazzano
D000374:Aggression; D000827:Animal Welfare; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D002415:Cats; D005260:Female; D006762:Hospitals, Animal; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000662:veterinary*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D018634:Veterinarians
Behavior; cat; stress; veterinary clinic; welfare