{"title":"Cats with inflammatory gastrointestinal or dermatological disorders exhibit increased care-soliciting and anxious behaviors.","authors":"Eilidh J Gilbert, Lauren Powell, Carlo Siracusa","doi":"10.2460/ajvr.24.10.0312","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study investigated whether the behavior profiles of cats with inflammatory gastrointestinal or skin diseases differ from those of healthy cats.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We identified adult cats within the patient database at the University of Pennsylvania's veterinary hospital that had been diagnosed with inflammatory gastrointestinal (n = 22) or skin disorders (17) and a control group of healthy cats (58). We collected data via owner completion of the Feline Behavioral Assessment & Research Questionnaire from March to May 2023 and conducted an observational study comparing the Feline Behavioral Assessment & Research Questionnaire scores between groups.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Cats with inflammatory gastrointestinal or skin disease exhibited more etepimeletic (care-soliciting) behaviors than healthy cats, including purring (U = 1,396.50, Z = 2.03, r = 0.21, 95% CI, 0.00 to 0.50), trainability (U = 1,303.50, Z = 2.33, r = 0.24, 95% CI, 0.00 to 1.00), and sociability to people (U = 367.50, Z = 2.21, r = 0.26, 95% CI, 0.00 to 1.57). The inflammatory group also exhibited more anxious behaviors than the healthy group, including compulsive grooming (U = 1,736.00, Z = 4.91, r = 0.50, 95% CI, 0.33 to 1.00) and fear of novelty (U = 603.00, Z = 2.14, r = 0.25, 95% CI, 0.00 to 1.00). Additionally, cats treated with corticosteroids exhibited more anxious behaviors than healthy and nonsteroid treatment groups, including separation behaviors (χ2[2] = 8.22, η2 = 0.08) and compulsive grooming (χ2[2] = 25.35, η2 = 0.25).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Chronic inflammatory response is associated with increased etepimeletic and anxious behaviors in cats, and corticosteroid treatment is associated with anxious behaviors.</p><p><strong>Clinical relevance: </strong>These findings suggest that monitoring anxious and etepimeletic behaviors may be relevant when assessing inflammatory disease in cats.</p>","PeriodicalId":7754,"journal":{"name":"American journal of veterinary research","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"American journal of veterinary research","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.24.10.0312","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"VETERINARY SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective: This study investigated whether the behavior profiles of cats with inflammatory gastrointestinal or skin diseases differ from those of healthy cats.
Methods: We identified adult cats within the patient database at the University of Pennsylvania's veterinary hospital that had been diagnosed with inflammatory gastrointestinal (n = 22) or skin disorders (17) and a control group of healthy cats (58). We collected data via owner completion of the Feline Behavioral Assessment & Research Questionnaire from March to May 2023 and conducted an observational study comparing the Feline Behavioral Assessment & Research Questionnaire scores between groups.
Results: Cats with inflammatory gastrointestinal or skin disease exhibited more etepimeletic (care-soliciting) behaviors than healthy cats, including purring (U = 1,396.50, Z = 2.03, r = 0.21, 95% CI, 0.00 to 0.50), trainability (U = 1,303.50, Z = 2.33, r = 0.24, 95% CI, 0.00 to 1.00), and sociability to people (U = 367.50, Z = 2.21, r = 0.26, 95% CI, 0.00 to 1.57). The inflammatory group also exhibited more anxious behaviors than the healthy group, including compulsive grooming (U = 1,736.00, Z = 4.91, r = 0.50, 95% CI, 0.33 to 1.00) and fear of novelty (U = 603.00, Z = 2.14, r = 0.25, 95% CI, 0.00 to 1.00). Additionally, cats treated with corticosteroids exhibited more anxious behaviors than healthy and nonsteroid treatment groups, including separation behaviors (χ2[2] = 8.22, η2 = 0.08) and compulsive grooming (χ2[2] = 25.35, η2 = 0.25).
Conclusions: Chronic inflammatory response is associated with increased etepimeletic and anxious behaviors in cats, and corticosteroid treatment is associated with anxious behaviors.
Clinical relevance: These findings suggest that monitoring anxious and etepimeletic behaviors may be relevant when assessing inflammatory disease in cats.
期刊介绍:
The American Journal of Veterinary Research supports the collaborative exchange of information between researchers and clinicians by publishing novel research findings that bridge the gulf between basic research and clinical practice or that help to translate laboratory research and preclinical studies to the development of clinical trials and clinical practice. The journal welcomes submission of high-quality original studies and review articles in a wide range of scientific fields, including anatomy, anesthesiology, animal welfare, behavior, epidemiology, genetics, heredity, infectious disease, molecular biology, oncology, pharmacology, pathogenic mechanisms, physiology, surgery, theriogenology, toxicology, and vaccinology. Species of interest include production animals, companion animals, equids, exotic animals, birds, reptiles, and wild and marine animals. Reports of laboratory animal studies and studies involving the use of animals as experimental models of human diseases are considered only when the study results are of demonstrable benefit to the species used in the research or to another species of veterinary interest. Other fields of interest or animals species are not necessarily excluded from consideration, but such reports must focus on novel research findings. Submitted papers must make an original and substantial contribution to the veterinary medicine knowledge base; preliminary studies are not appropriate.