Practical feline behaviour understanding cat behaviour and improving welfare

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Health and Behaviour 85


Although the primary cause of FIC is not as yet understood, increasing evidence
points to stress as being a major contributory factor. Clinical signs are more often
seen during or soon after periods of stress (Jones et al., 1997; Cameron et al., 2004).
Affected cats may also show other behavioural signs and physical disorders consid-
ered to be stress related. For example:


● Indoor urine spraying.
● Cardiovascular abnormalities.
● Gastrointestinal signs.
● Dermatological signs.
● Exaggerated acoustic startle response (meaning that the cat is more likely to react
fearfully to sounds) (Buffington et al., 2006; Stella et al., 2011; Sparkes et al., 2016).


Some cats appear to be predisposed to the condition and may be chronic sufferers or
have frequently recurring episodes that can often be self-resolving within a few days
(Gunn-Moore, 2003). This can add to the difficulty in diagnosing the disease because
by the time the veterinary surgeon examines the cat it may no longer be showing
clinical signs.
Exposure to early life stressors, including prenatal stress (see Chapter 5), could
be particularly influential in the development of this syndrome (Buffington, 2011;
Buffington et al., 2014).


The immune system


It is well established that prolonged production of glucocorticoids and catechola-
mines as a result of chronic stress can interfere with and suppress the body’s immune
system. Other, less well understood mechanisms associated with stress might also be
involved (Padgett and Glaser, 2003). Being subjected to early life stressors, such as
maternal separation or exposure to maternal stress hormones before birth (see
Chapter 5), has also been shown to have a negative influence on an individual’s life-
long resistance to disease (Avitsur et al., 2006; Mills, 2016). Stress may therefore be
a factor in the development and/or spread of many feline infections. There are certain
diseases where long-term stress has definitely been shown to be an issue.


Feline infectious peritonitis


Feline coronavirus (FCoV) is the infectious agent that causes feline infectious perito-
nitis (FIP). It is common in the domestic cat population but not all cats that test
positive for FCoV go on to develop FIP. The majority will remain healthy or develop
no more than a mild enteritis. Stress has been shown to be the main predisposing
factor leading to the development of FIP in cats exposed to FCoV (Addie et al., 2009).


Feline herpesvirus


Feline herpesvirus (FHV & FeHV-1) is a major cause of upper respiratory and ocular
disease. Stress may produce a reactivation of symptoms in cats that have previously

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