Cat Owner Relationship and Cat Behaviour post COVID-19

Numerous studies have demonstrated that pets serve as stress reducers for their owners in the context of the COVID-19 epidemic. For instance, most dog owners reported feeling emotionally better after taking their dogs for walks or participating in social activities (like play) with them. Regarding cats, 84.6% of cat owners claimed that having a cat around had a positive impact, mostly because it reduced the stress that the epidemic had caused in their lives. Pets played an unquestionably positive role in the pandemic, but pet owners appear to have faced difficulties that may have influenced how much they value their relationships with their animals. These difficulties include worries about getting veterinary care and the emergence or escalation of pet behaviour issues.

The University of Pisa's Bioethical Committee granted this study ethical permission. The respondents' age, gender, occupation, level of education, place of residence, and other personal data were gathered in the first phase of the survey (e.g., type, size, presence of an outdoor space). The second segment investigated how the confinement affected the respondents and their families (such as the length of the confinement time, permission to work, influence on quality of life). The statistical analysis was carried out using the R program. The regressions employed the packages ordinal, companion, and emmeans. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the Italian COVID-19 lockout affected cat-owner interactions and feline behaviour. The outcomes confirm those of earlier research, showing a generally beneficial impact of COVID-19 confinement on the cat-owner connection. Over half of those surveyed said their connection with their cat had improved because of the lockdown, while over half said there had been no change at all. Additionally, 85% of cat owners thought that their cat offered more assistance during the lockdown compared to previously, as opposed to a smaller percentage of owners who believed that their cat's support had decreased. This study's objective was to determine whether the lockdown specifically affected the welfare and behaviour of cats. The majority of those surveyed stated that their cat's quality of life improved during the lockdown. Like this, owners who claimed that their home was too tiny for all family members to carry out their activities separately had a higher likelihood that their cat's aggressiveness toward other household cats had gotten worse. This term refers to a social rather than a physical component of the cat's living habitat and reflects a subjective assessment of density rather than an absolute measure of space. However, these results need to be seen in the context of the fact that most cats who already have behavioural issues do not generally respond negatively to confinement. The current study's findings are consistent with other research on the impact of COVID-19 confinement on the bond between cats and their owners conducted in various European nations.

Source: Veterinary Sciences