Associations between feline sporotrichosis lesion severity and behaviour may indicate negative emotional states

Sporotrichosis, an emerging tropical zoonosis, is increasingly reported worldwide, affecting cats and often necessitating prolonged isolation for treatment. While most studies focus on epidemiology and pharmacological approaches, the cat's role as a sentient patient remains underexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the associations between the duration of sporotrichosis treatment and lesion severity with the behaviour of cats under veterinary care. Eight cats undergoing sporotrichosis treatment at the university veterinary clinic’s infectious diseases isolation ward were subjected once to open field, novel object, and unknown human tests. Pictures of the cat's lesions at enrolment were used to assess the severity and extent of lesions through a numeric lesion score (0 = no lesion; 30 = severe lesions in all body parts). Treatment duration in weeks was assessed based on the clinical records of the cats. Associations between lesion severity and treatment duration with behaviours in the tests were assessed via linear regression. Cats with higher lesion severity scores explored fewer quadrants in the behavioural tests and tended to vocalise more times across all tests. In the novel object test, cats with higher lesion severity took longer to approach the object. In the unknown human test, cats with more severe lesions spent less time in contact with the unfamiliar human. Longer treatment durations were associated with increased latency to approach the novel object, but no other behavioural variables were linked to treatment duration. Cats with higher lesion scores exhibited cautious behaviours, indicating that lesion severity likely influences their responses. These findings emphasise the need to consider both the disease and the sentient patient during sporotrichosis treatment, as lesion severity and treatment duration appear to impact the cat’s behaviour suggesting that cats are experiencing negative emotional states.