Development of a laboratory model to assess fear and anxiety in cats
| Autor: | Christina de Rivera, Jacqui Ley, Gary M. Landsberg, Bill Milgram |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
Male
Veterinary medicine Validation study medicine.medical_specialty 040301 veterinary sciences medicine.drug_class Significant group Anxiety Models Psychological Audiology Cat Diseases Anxiolytic 0403 veterinary science Anti-Anxiety Agents Human interaction medicine Animals 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences 050102 behavioral science & comparative psychology Small Animals Diazepam CATS Behavior Animal business.industry 05 social sciences Reproducibility of Results Fear 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences Cats Female medicine.symptom business medicine.drug |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. 19:586-593 |
| ISSN: | 1532-2750 1098-612X |
| DOI: | 10.1177/1098612x16643121 |
| Popis: | Objectives The objectives of this study were: (1) to develop a laboratory-based model to assess fear and anxiety in cats using the feline open-field test (OFT) and the feline human interaction test (HIT); and (2) to validate the model using diazepam, a known anxiolytic. Methods Laboratory-housed cats (n = 41) were first classified as fearful, mildly fearful or non-fearful by a technician familiar with the cats and also by veterinary behaviorists (GL, JL), by assessing the cats’ behavior in their home rooms. In experiment 1, each cat’s behavior was assessed in an OFT and an HIT. In experiment 2, after administration of the anxiolytic diazepam, a subset of the cats was re-tested. Results In experiment 1, the OFT revealed significant group effects on two measures: duration of inactivity, and vocalization. Fearful animals had significantly longer periods of inactivity than non-fearful animals. Non-fearful and mildly fearful cats vocalized more frequently than fearful cats. In the HIT, fearful cats travelled less than non-fearful and mildly fearful cats. Fearful and mildly fearful animals had significantly longer durations of inactivity, and non-fearful and mildly fearful cats had a significantly higher frequency of vocalization compared with fearful cats. In experiment 2, in the OFT, treatment with diazepam caused an increase in distance travelled, shorter durations of inactivity, and more frequent inactivity and vocalization. In the HIT, diazepam increased distance travelled and decreased duration of inactivity. Fearful cats spent significantly less time near the human compared with non-fearful cats, and this persisted under diazepam. Conclusions and relevance The feline OFT and feline HIT can be used jointly to assess the effects of medications or other therapies on fear and anxiety in the domestic cat. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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