f e l i n e
The Needs of the Many Andrea Carne presents multifaceted treatment suggestions for solving toileting issues in multicat households based on a new study that examines cats’ stress hormones he Star Trek character Spock once said: “Logic clearly dictates that the needs of the many out weigh the needs of the few. Or the one.” (Meyer, 1982). This movie quote popped into my mind upon reading the findings of a new study into stress levels of multicat households experi encing toileting issues. Stay with me on this – it will all become clear! I’m sure most cat behavior con sultants would agree that the number one behavior problem reported by cat guardians is inappropriate toileting – both urine spraying and toileting out side the litter box. As behavior consultants, we know that, when all potential medical issues have been ruled out by a veterinarian, the most likely cause of inappropriate toileting is stress. Any number of stressors in the cat’s environment could be involved – alone or in combi nation – including but not limited to: a new addition to the household (human or animal); the departure of a © Can Stock Photo / Vapi member of the household (human or A recent study found that in multicat households where one cat was spraying, every cat in the home was stressed animal); a physical change such as and not just the one (or ones) engaging in the behavior moving house or renovating the exist ing one; the appearance of a new cat in the extended territory; a change to routines and a decrease or cats from multicat households. These households were specifically ones change in available resources. experiencing either urine spraying or “latrine issues” (i.e. toileting out And what we would normally do is focus on the cat that is doing the side the litter box, but not spraying). The feces of all cats within each inappropriate toileting and work out what is needed to make that cat household were examined, regardless of whether they were the ones feel safe and secure again. Lower the cat’s stress levels and toileting carrying out the unwanted behavior. problems should eventually be resolved. However, a new study has re Just to clarify the difference between spraying and latrine issues: vealed that perhaps we should widen that focus to include all the cats in Urine spraying is generally territorial marking behavior and usually per the household (the many, not the one – get it?) and assume that, if one formed on vertical surfaces. The term latrine issues refers to otherwise cat is stressed, they are all stressed – and it is the environment that normal elimination of urine or feces but in places other than the litter needs the primary focus, not the individual cat. tray. Both are very distressing situations for cat guardians and are fre quently cited as reasons for relinquishing cats to shelters and rescue or Stress Hormones ganizations. Both are often complex problems, particularly in multicat house Brazilian veterinary behaviorist Dr. Daniela Ramos and her colleagues holds, with a solution requiring a good deal of detective work, a range published the findings of their study earlier this year. Their project in of modifications, lengthy periods of time and very dedicated guardians. volved examining the level of stress hormone present in the feces of
T
What Dr. Ramos and her team found was, in households where urine spraying was being displayed, all cats were stressed. There was no difference in the stress hormones detected between the cat that was carrying out the urine spraying and the rest of the cats in the household. This was also the case for the cats in a latrine issues household, although, as a whole, cats in a latrine issues household were not as stressed as those in one with urine spraying. (Ramos et al., 2020).
20
BARKS from the Guild/September 2020
