Epidemiology of Domestic Cat Behavioral and Welfare Issues: a survey of Brazilian referral animal hospitals in 2009

Few feline behavioral categories, especially concerning their social behavior, have been studied so far. These include: the domestic cat social structure, relationships among in¬dividuals and communication among social groups. However, cats have become popular companion animals in many countries and multi-cat households are common. Not only behavioral disorders, but also normal behaviors are important causes of euthana¬sia and abandonment of healthy cats. This study aimed to conduct a national survey on behavioral problems of cats and how they affect cat welfare, in university animal hospitals in Brazil. The methods used were questionnaires sent to veterinarians at all re¬ferral hospitals in the country. Forty-six vet school hospitals from a total of 108 returned the questionnaire (33.6%). The majority of veterinarians affirmed that they had been consulted on behavior disorders (91.1%), mostly regarding dogs (90.2%). Most of the participants refer behavior cases to veteri¬nary behaviorists (57.6%) or animal trainers (21.7%). In Brazil, euthanasia does not seem to be an option to solve behavior issues, as reported in other countries. Inappropriate elimination (34.8%) and scratching (28. 3%) were the most common ownersʹ complaints, and cats and other animals were the most frequent targets of aggressive behavior. The most chosen treatment for inappropriate elimination and aggressiveness was behav¬ior management (behavior modification and environmental enrichment), followed by gonadectomy. Aggressiveness (40.2%), scratching (35.8%), and inappropriate elimi¬nation (28.3%) were the most frequent rea¬sons for abandonment of cats. These results call attention to the deficit of knowledge on domestic cat behavior, and inadequate expectations from cat owners. Both issues result in damage to the human-animal bond and probably to the abandonment of cats on the streets in Brazil, which is not only an ethical problem regarding animal welfare but also an animal and human public health problem.