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Helping Fearful Cats Kim Monteith and Zazie Todd of PPG’s Shelter and Rescue Committee discuss the importance of hiding places and how to set up an enclosure for a fearful cat in a shelter environment
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rriving at a shelter or rescue is a stressful experience for any cat, but is especially hard for cats that are fearful and take a long time to settle in. In this environment, fearful cats may suffer stress and anxiety, which may also have effects on their physical health. As well, if they are too fearful to come to the front of their cage or to approach visitors, it may take longer for them to be adopted. Knowing how to help fearful cats is crucial, and PPG’s Shelter and Rescue Committee is currently working on a project to help fearful cats in shelters and rescues. This is in tandem with their work on behavior modification and play groups for shelter dogs, which was reported on in the May 2019 issue of BARKS (see Management and Behavior Modification: Develop‐ ing a Force‐Free Toolbox for Shelters and Rescues, BARKS from the Guild, May 2019, pp.14‐21). The aim is to have a set of plans that shelter and rescue workers and volunteers (including those who foster cats) can use to help set up the environment and work with fearful cats.
Hiding Places Cats are solitary hunters and prefer to avoid threats rather than face them. They use hiding as a coping strategy to help them avoid unwanted interactions or difficult situations. Providing a safe place is one of the five pillars of a healthy feline environment, according to the American Association of Feline Practitioners and the International Society of Feline Medicine (Ellis et al., 2013). From the cat’s perspective, a safe place is somewhere secluded that they can withdraw to if they feel stressed or threatened. Since cats like to be high up as it allows them to keep an eye on their environment, a hiding place can also be somewhere high up to perch. A hiding place can be as simple as a cardboard box with a hole to allow entry and exit. Within a shelter environment, the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BC SPCA) developed its award-winning Hide, Perch & GoTM box, which provides a place to hide on the bottom level and a place to perch above. Since it is made of cardboard, over time it will take on the cat’s own scent, thus helping him to feel more secure. It can also be used as a carrier and hence go home with the cat when adopted. Another hiding box is the Feline Fort® which was developed by Cats Protection in the United Kingdom and consists of three pieces, a step, table, and a hiding box, thus also allowing both hiding and perching. Research shows that providing cats in shelters with a hiding space is good for their welfare (Kry & Casey, 2007). At an adoption center, 43 cats were randomly allocated to either have a Hide, Perch & GoTM box (hiding enrichment) or to simply have an open bed. The cats were then monitored over the next two weeks. The cats that had the hiding enrichment showed a reduction in stress levels over this period, as measured by the Cat-Stress-Score, while those in the control group had a small increase in stress. The Cat-Stress-Score, developed by McCune (1992) and further developed by Kessler and Turner (1997), is a standardized score based on observations of the cat’s body position, head, tail, eyes, ears, activity, etc., and ranges from 1 (fully relaxed) to 7 (terrified). For example, a fully relaxed cat will be lying on his side or back with the tummy exposed, the eyes half-open or even closed, ears and whiskers in a normal position, and sleeping or resting. In contrast, a cat with a score of 7 will be crouched on top of his paws with the tail tight to the body, the head low down, eyes fully open with pupils dilated,
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BARKS from the Guild/September 2019
© Can Stock Photo/fotovampir
Finding themselves in a shelter environment can be a highly stressful experience for cats, especially those who are more fearful by nature, and they may take a long time to settle in
ears flat back on the head, and motionless, or possibly growling or yowling. In addition to the differences in Cat-Stress-Score, the cats provided with the hiding enrichment were also more likely to approach the front of their cage when an experimenter came and stood there, suggesting they felt more comfortable, although they were not adopted any faster than cats in the control group. Subsequent research by Ellis, Stryhn, Spears and Cockram (2017) tested shelter cats’ preferences for a toy, a hiding box, or a perching place. These options were placed in different compartments along with an empty compartment as a control. The results showed that cats preferred to allocate their time to the hiding box, spending more time there than with the other two types of enrichment. This shows just how important a hiding place is to cats in shelters. For fearful cats, the provision of hiding places is even more important, since a cat’s natural response to something threatening or stressful is to hide. Cage size is also something to bear in mind. A study by Wagner, Kass and Hurley (2018) found an association between the provision of a hiding place and increased rates of upper respiratory infections, but in this study most of the cats’ cages were small (less than 6 square feet), suggesting there may not have been enough space.
Setting Up the Cage When setting up a fearful cat’s cage we need to think like a cat and consider how they behave when faced with something they feel is life threatening. We want to help them cope and adapt to the shelter quickly rather than increase their fear. When setting up a fearful cat’s cage, then, start by asking yourself, “What does a cat do when something frightens him?” For example, he may try to escape or hide, and if that doesn’t work he may use all his defensive tools to protect himself. Knowing this, we need to set up housing that: allows for hiding and
