Volume 121, Issues 3–4, 1 October 2015, Pages 288–296
Highlights
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- Human interaction by petting, playing and grooming improved shelter cats' welfare.
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- Treated cats were more content and less anxious and frustrated.
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- Treated cats had increased concentrations of immunoglobulin A in their feces.
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- Within 10 days, treatment had substantially reduced viral shedding.
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- Treated cats had less respiratory disease, especially good responders to treatment.
Abstract
Sustained
positive affect may decrease vulnerability to upper respiratory
infections in cats admitted to a shelter. Incidence of upper respiratory
infections was examined in cats rated as Content upon admission to an
animal shelter when provided with or without treatment to sustain
contentment. Ninety-six cats rated as Content upon admission were
provided with either human interaction, including petting, playing, and
grooming, in four 10 min sessions/d for 10 days or were exposed to a
control treatment of a human standing in front of the cage with eyes
averted for the same period. Changes in emotional state and mucosal
immune responses were measured daily in treated and control groups.
Infectious status was determined upon admission and on days 4 and 10
using combined conjunctival and oropharyngeal swab specimens tested by
quantitative real-time PCR for feline herpes virus type 1, feline
calicivirus, Mycoplasma felis, Chlamydophila felis, and Bordetella bronchiseptica.
The onset of upper respiratory disease (URD) was determined by
veterinary staff based on clinical signs, including ocular or nasal
discharge. Treated cats were more likely to remain Content (Incident
Rate Ratio [IRR]:1.13, Confidence Interval: 0.98-1.30, P
<0.0001) and less likely to be rated as Anxious or Frustrated than
Control cats over a 10 day period (IRR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.42-0.88, P
=0.007). Feline secretory IgA (S-IgA) quantified in faeces by ELISA
techniques, was greater for Treated than Control cats (1451 Vs
846 μg/g). Within the Treatment group, S-IgA was greater for cats that
sustained Contentment throughout the study period compared to cats that
became Anxious or Frustrated (1846 Vs 1394 μg/g). An increasing
proportion of Control than Treated cats shed pathogens over time
(Control 22%, 36%, 61%; Treated 35%, 26%, 32% on d 1, 4 and 10,
respectively; P =0.006). Control cats were more likely to develop URD than Treated cats (HR 2.9, CI: 1.30-6.67, P =0.01). Cats that responded positively to Treatment had a lower incidence of URD than negative responders (P
=0.02). We conclude that the provision of human interaction treatments
to shelter cats can facilitate sustained contentment, enhance secretion
of S-IgA, and reduce incidence of URD.
Keywords
- Emotions;
- Human interaction;
- Secretory Immunoglobulin A;
- Respiratory disease;
- Shelter cats
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
