Abstract
Research to assess the relationship between cats and humans is in a nascent stage. Some studies have assessed the stress status in cats using physiological indicators, such as the cortisol hormone, but have not focused on the social interaction with humans. Moreover, the role of oxytocin secretion in the relationship between cats and humans remains unclear. In this study, we determined the possibility of quantifying the urinary concentration of oxytocin in cats and assessed the effects of social contact with humans on the levels of urinary oxytocin and cortisol metabolite. Four cats were subjected to two conditions, namely, social (control), and non-social (no social contact with humans) conditions. The levels of cortisol and oxytocin metabolite in urine samples from the cats in both conditions were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The urinary concentrations of cortisol and oxytocin under the non-social condition were significantly higher than those under the social condition. In addition, the concentration of oxytocin significantly correlated with that of cortisol in cats under the non-social condition. In this study, it was possible to quantify the concentration of oxytocin in the urine of cats, and the obtained results suggest that cats recognize the social interaction with humans as important. This information might contribute to the establishment of an assessment method for the welfare of cats and might help in clarifying the relationship between cats and humans.
Highlights
The number of cats exceeds that of dogs in Japan [1], and this trend is common worldwide [2]
The concentration of oxytocin in non-social condition (NSC) significantly increased relative to that in social condition (SC) for all the samples (Figure 2B, p < 0.01; Cohen’s d: 1.39), and samples belonging to cats B (p < 0.01; Cohen’s d: 1.98), C (p < 0.05; Cohen’s d: 1.14), and D (p < 0.05; Cohen’s d: 1.54); there was no difference for cat A (p > 0.05; Cohen’s d: 1.13)
Measurement of both cortisol and oxytocin might help in accurately assessing the physiological status of cats because oxytocin influences the activities of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and autonomic nervous system, as does cortisol [23]
Summary
The number of cats exceeds that of dogs in Japan [1], and this trend is common worldwide [2]. To enhance the relationship between cats and humans, more information related to the human–cat interaction is needed. There is a large and increasing number of questionnaires related to the human–animal interaction (HAI) [6]. A questionnaire is an essential subjective indicator to assess the relationships between cats and humans. Rodriguez et al [7] has highlighted the need to incorporate methodologically rigorous designs, combining both subjective and objective outcome measures, for developing the field of HAI. Objective measurements, such as behavioral observation and physiological assessment, are fundamental indicators in the field of HAI research
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