Responses to the question ‘ Did you go through behaviour advice with the owner ? If no , why not ?‘ were analysed as count data and displayed as a pie chart ( Figure 3 ). The largest proportion of responses ( 30 %) was ‘ Didn ' t feel confident enough giving behaviour advice ‘.
5 %
10 %
10 %
Discussion
15 %
Didn ' t feel it would help the cat
Didn ' t feel owner would be receptive
Didn ' t feel confident giving behaviour advice
30 %
20 %
10 %
Didn ' t have time
Owner was a vetinary professional
Did a phone consult at a later stage
Other
Figure 3 . Pie chart showing reasons why VSs did not go through behaviour advice with owners .
In their responses to the survey , 55 VSs said the cat showed signs of CDS but only 32 VSs diagnosed the cat with CDS . This could be because the VSs wanted to eliminate the possibility of the behaviour issues being due to another illness , as CDS is usually diagnosed by excluding all other potential causes of the behaviour [ 13 ] . It could also be due to the VSs attributing the signs to old age [ 5 ] . It is possible that the VS did not feel that the signs were severe enough to diagnose CDS , or the cat had another health issue that was more significant and required treatment , such as hyperthyroidism , chronic kidney disease , hypertension , dental disease or arthritis .
In this study , the general linear model ( GLM ) test showed a link between a diagnosis of CDS and whether the cat was referred to a behaviourist . A trend in the data suggested that a diagnosis of CDS meant that the cat was less likely to be referred to a behaviourist . This could have been due to the VS perceiving CDS as a degenerative physical disease , which is not something a behaviourist could help with . Although a behaviourist would not be able to prescribe any prescription-only veterinary medications ( POM-V ), they would still be able to give advice on adapting the cat ' s environment and on supplements and nutraceuticals . Cat behaviourists may be able to spend more time devising a realistic treatment plan with owners [ 17 ] and discussing issues such as house layout , location of resources and other ways to enrich the home environment to support a more fulfilling lifestyle [ 17 ] . Therefore , referral to a behaviourist could be beneficial to a cat with CDS , with input from a VS in the form of medications and dietary advice , which could ensure the cat receives a holistic treatment plan . The trend linking CDS diagnosis with reduced referral could also be due to the VSs not being fully aware of what a cat behaviourist can do , so VSs may benefit from education on the behaviourist ' s role .
The results of this study show that owners were more likely to comply with the treatment plan when the cat displayed house-soiling behaviours , compared with the other behavioural signs listed in the survey . This could be due to their cat ' s behaviour impacting on their lifestyle , household or routine [ 14 ] . It is important to note that normal cat behaviours are often perceived as a problem when they impact on their owner ' s life . House soiling is one such behaviour , because it is often very distressing and can cause tension between family members [ 18 ] . However , this behaviour is deemed unacceptable only by the owner , not the cat . Evaluation of how owners regard the behaviour of their cat – for example , if they perceive the cat to be doing something deliberately to ‘ get back at them ‘ – is likely to be a useful indicator of how compliant the owner will be with a treatment plan , particularly a plan that requires a degree of effort on their part [ 14 ] . Therefore , if the cat is diagnosed with CDS this could give owners a valid reason for their cat ' s behaviour and reduce the owner ' s tendency to perceive their cat in an anthropocentric way [ 14 ] .
Owners who value their possessions and home , or owners who have recently acquired new furnishings , usually seek help for house-soiling behaviour because these factors increase their motivation to deal with the problem [ 14 ] . This is a positive finding for those cats that are exhibiting house-soiling behaviours , as they are more likely to receive treatment . However , senior cats or cats with CDS presenting with other less invasive behaviours , such as overgrooming , restlessness and nighttime waking , may be less likely to be offered treatment , or their owners may be less likely to comply with a treatment plan , which could be a barrier to the treatment of a senior cat with behavioural issues .
In this study , the most common behavioural signs that the cats presented with were excessive vocalisation , house soiling and aimless wandering ( Figure 1 ). This could be due to old age causing degenerative brain changes and disease , that is , CDS , or it could be because these signs have more impact on their owners ' lives and , therefore , they are less tolerant of these behaviours and more proactive in seeking veterinary attention for their cat . As discussed previously , the greater the impact on the
18 Veterinary Nursing Journal