Plus-Hex CLINICAL
Discussion
Owner awareness of OA
Based on this study , there is a lack of owner awareness of the clinical signs of OA in cats . This is highlighted by the low awareness score and low variation in owner awareness with the factors presented in this study . The list of options given to owners included clinical signs of OA , chronic kidney disease and normal cat behaviour . In many instances , participants confused the clinical signs of chronic kidney disease with those of OA . Some of these clinical signs were similar ( e . g . lethargy , which may be confused with a reluctance to move ), so the low score may imply a lack of knowledge of OA or a general lack of understanding of the clinical signs that cats display .
Additionally , it is difficult to assess whether participants were aware of the clinical signs of OA specifically , or whether they selected abnormal behaviours from the list simply because the clinical signs indicated a health issue with their cat , which may not be related to OA . For example , one of the clinical signs participants could choose was meowing . While this is indicative of normal cat behaviour , 167 ( 44.5 %) of participants selected this as a clinical sign of OA , as meowing can be a sign of pain [ 11 ] and OA is a painful condition . This emphasises the importance of educating cat owners , so they can better recognise what is normal cat behaviour , what is abnormal , and when to contact a veterinary professional .
Owner awareness and age of cat
The prevalence of OA increases with age , and cats over the age of 6 years are 61 % more likely to show clinical signs of OA than younger cats [ 12 ] . The mean age of cats owned by participants in this study was 6 years , which means it is likely that many participants owned cats that may be starting to experience signs of OA . Despite this , there was no statistical significance in data relating owner awareness of OA to the age of their cats . This suggests that despite older cats displaying more clinical signs of OA , owners of those cats are not more likely to recognise those signs . This is supported by the literature , as it is known that OA is a subtle , slow-progressing disease [ 13 ] , which can be difficult for owners to notice . This is also representative of the idea that any changes noted by the owner may simply be dismissed as normal signs of a cat ageing [ 14 ] .
It might be expected that once a cat is diagnosed with OA , owner awareness would increase , but this was not found to be statistically significant in this study . An owner ' s awareness of abnormal behaviours being clinical signs of OA did not increase after diagnosis . This is concerning , as the diagnosis of OA in cats is reliant on owners recognising the clinical signs [ 15 ] . Furthermore , those owners who take their cat to a veterinary practice only for vaccinations , for example , may not be aware of the clinical signs , so might not notice any alteration in their cat ' s behaviour following diagnosis and treatment . This is replicated by the finding that the source of information did not have an effect on the awareness score .
Of the 375 participants who answered the questionnaire , 60 ( 16 %) stated that they had previous knowledge of OA in cats specifically . The majority had gained this knowledge from their education or careers related to the veterinary profession , while others learned from the internet and some from owning cats with the disease . Those who stated they had a higher general knowledge of OA had gained this via experience with other species , by having OA themselves or knowing someone who did , or through their careers in healthcare and veterinary settings . This aligns with the literature that recognises that clinical signs may be difficult to identify in cats but it is possible to extrapolate the information from other animal species and humans . However , many signs of pain identified by owners of dogs are overlooked in cats [ 16 ] , which suggests that participants may be missing clinical signs in cats or assuming they are a normal part of ageing .
Conclusions
Results of this study suggest that greater owner education on cat behaviour would enable them to recognise that progressive conditions such as OA affect the quality of the cat ' s life and should not be accepted as a normal sign of ageing in cats .
Limitations
This study used voluntary response sampling , which can result in bias [ 17 ] . However , this method of sampling is efficient and convenient , as it allows collection of a large number of responses in a short time frame [ 18 ] . The awareness score used was not validated , so this may have affected the reliability and validity of the results . Additionally , identifying a clinical sign in a patient is different from recognising it in a list . However , no validated tools exist , and the score was created using clinical signs presented in the evidence base for OA in cats . Although further research is required , from the responses provided it is clear that owners struggle to recognise clinical signs of OA in cats .
Future recommendations
Further studies to explore how best to raise awareness of diseases that affect cats would be beneficial , in addition to correlating any link between owner awareness and speed of diagnosis and subsequent treatment . Furthermore , many participants in this study reported taking their cats to veterinary practices for regular health examinations , so a future study determining how often regular health checks should occur may be beneficial to both veterinary professionals and owners , particularly in light of the supply and demand issues the veterinary profession is facing .
Volume 38 ( 6 ) • December 2023
27