UC Davis

Veterinary visits are stressful for cats and their owners, with research showing many cats display negative responses during physical examinations. Many owners report that seeing their cat stressed out during veterinary visits reduces their willingness to take their cat to see a veterinarian on a routine basis. Research suggests that owner presence compared to absence helps to reduce fear and stress in dogs during physical examinations, although little research has examined the impact of owner presence on cat welfare. Thus, the main objectives of this thesis were to assess: 1) cat owner attitudes on common veterinary examination practices, 2) cat owners’ perceptions of their cat’s veterinary experiences, and 3) the effect of owner presence versus absence on their cat’s behavioral and physiological responses during a routine physical veterinary examination. An advertisement to participate with a questionnaire link was used to recruit cat owners and their cat in the Greater Sacramento Area (California, USA); questions related to study inclusion and exclusion criteria determined respondent’s eligibility to participate. Those fitting the inclusion criteria were emailed a link to participate in a questionnaire asking their opinions on routine veterinary examination practices. Those completing the questionnaire (N=33) also participated in two veterinary examinations with their cat at least two weeks apart: one examination with the owner present, and one examination with the owner absent. Appointment order was counterbalanced. Questionnaire results (N = 33) suggest participant cat owners are more comfortable when a familiar veterinarian (p < 0.0001; Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test) or familiar non-veterinarian staff member (p < 0.0001; Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test)takes their cat to the treatment area without them, compared to an unfamiliar veterinarian or unfamiliar non-veterinarian staff member. Participant cat owners rated themselves (p < 0.0001; Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test) and their cat (p < 0.0001; Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test) as more comfortable when they are present versus absent during their cat’s physical examination. Participants also indicated they strongly agree to being present compared to absent during invasive procedures (i.e., blood or urine collection) within the examination room (p < 0.0001; Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test) and treatment area (p = 0.002; Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test). During the physical examinations, cats (N = 32) displayed an increased rate of vocalizations during the habituation (IRR: 3.23, p= 0.0035) and examination (IRR: 3.18, p=0.007) phases of the examinations when the owner was absent compared to present; no other treatment effects were detected. The thesis results suggest that cat owners prefer to be present versus absent during routine examinations and invasive procedures. Cat owners indicated that their presence reduces their cat’s comfort levels during veterinary examinations, and cat examination results suggest that owner absence may have a mild negative impact on cats. Given the current results, we recommend owners be provided a choice to be present or absent during their cat’s physical examination and routine procedures that may be needed. When cats need to be separated from their owner, it is recommended to have a familiar person take their cat to the treatment area. However, more research is needed replicate these results on a wider scale for greater generalizability. Increased consideration of the human-cat relationship and interactions may help improve veterinary appointment-related client satisfaction and reduce stress for cats and their owners. This in turn may help foster a healthy veterinarian-client-patient relationship and support cat health and welfare in the veterinary environment.