Comparison of stress exhibited by cats examined in a clinic versus a home setting

Serum cortisol levels, physiological parameters and behavior were used to assess stress experienced by cats examined using equivalent low stress handling techniques in two different environments: their home and an idealized veterinary clinic setting.Healthy cats (n = 18) were examined in a randomized cross-over study design: 10 were examined in a clinic setting first and eight in the home first with standardization of the examination procedure including personnel and duration between examinations. All procedures were captured on video for behavioral analysis.Serum cortisol was not significantly different between the two examination environments. However, cortisol was lower on their second visit regardless of examination environment (P < 0.01). There was a significant difference for blood glucose between the clinic and home with blood glucose being higher in the clinic (P < 0.01). The behavioral analyses revealed that cats were more likely to hide in the clinic (P < 0.05).In the context of this study, where low stress handling techniques were employed throughout both environments, familiarity with the veterinary examiner and procedure were associated with decreased stress experienced by the cat. Higher blood glucose and more hiding behavior in the clinic support the hypothesis that the clinic is more stressful than the home. In the clinic setting, familiarity with the veterinary examiner and the use of low stress handling techniques potentially masked other physiological parameters associated with stress. Also, the use of low stress handling and the lack of marked extremes of fear or aggression in the cats, made the estimation of stress based on behavioral cues challenging.