Abstract
There has been little research into brachycephalism and associated disorders in cats. A questionnaire aimed at cat owners was used to determine the relationship between feline facial conformation and owner-reported cat management requirements and respiratory abnormalities. Owner-submitted photographs of cats were used to develop novel measures of skull conformation. One thousand valid questionnaires were received. Within these there were 373 valid photographs that allowed measurement of muzzle ratio (M%) and 494 that allowed nose position ratio (NP%). The data included 239 cats for which both measurements were available. Owners reported lifestyle factors (e.g. feeding type, grooming routine, activity level), physical characteristics (e.g. hair length) and other health characteristics of their cat (e.g. tear staining, body condition score). A composite respiratory score (RS) was calculated for each cat using their owner’s assessment of respiratory noise whilst their cat was asleep and then breathing difficulty following activity. Multivariate analyses were carried out using linear models to explore the relationship between RS and facial conformation, and lifestyle risk factors. The results showed that reductions in NP% and M% were significantly associated with RS (P < 0.001 and P = 0.026, respectively) and that the relationship was significantly negatively correlated (r = -0.56, P < 0.001 for both). Respiratory score was also significantly associated with increased presence of tear staining (P < 0.001) and a sedentary lifestyle (P = 0.01). This study improves current knowledge concerning cats with breeding-related alterations in skull confirmation and indicates that brachycephalism may have negative respiratory implications for cat health and welfare, as has been previously shown in dogs.
Highlights
Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) is a chronic respiratory condition that arises as a consequence of artificial selection for a changed skull shape primarily characterised by a shortened muzzle [1]
Within a two-month period from April to June 2015, 1,511 cat owners replied to an online survey, with the 1,000 (66.2%) completed responses retained for further analyses
From the 1000 responses, 494 valid photographs were provided that allowed for the NP% calculation (Fig 1) and 373 valid photographs allowed for the M% calculation (Fig 2)
Summary
Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) is a chronic respiratory condition that arises as a consequence of artificial selection for a changed skull shape primarily characterised by a shortened muzzle [1]. The welfare of brachycephalic dogs has been an area of concern for a wide variety of stakeholders over the last decade, reflected in several high-profile reports including those from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) [10], the Associate Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare [11], and the Independent Inquiry into Dog Breeding [12] Given this recent interest, research methods and diagnostic approaches for BOAS in dogs have been improving [2, 7, 13, 14], with computed tomography of the canine skull able to give a better understanding of the anatomical abnormalities present [15]. A more substantial understanding of the primary and secondary anatomical abnormalities that result in BOAS has in turn, lead to the development of surgical interventions to alleviate the condition [4]
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