Past studies have shown that adopting cats can help children with autism reduce stress and anxiety, but how does it affect the health of cats? A team of researchers found that cats may also experience the same benefits.
Researchers in a new study found that many cats in American households live with families with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Publish This week in Frontiers of Veterinary Science, pointed out. Although the benefits of companion animals in reducing stress and anxiety in children with ASD have been previously established, there is “not much known” about the welfare of companion animals in new homes.
The researchers wrote: “One in 54 children is determined to have ASD. The symptoms of these children include social, communication, and other behavioral challenges.” “These behavioral problems may pose a potential challenge to the cat’s health.”
The researchers said that although cats can actively adapt to “safe and predictable” situations, they will also show some “problematic behaviors” if the environment is stressful, and pointed out that families with children may be very stressful. As Gretchen Carlisle, lead author of research and research scientist at the University of Missouri (MU) School of Veterinary Medicine, said, Said At the university press conference, it is also important to see if the relationship is “cumbersome” for the cat.
In their study, the researchers carefully studied the welfare of 10 shelter cats that were adopted by families with at least one child with autism. Autism, Mu noticed. These cats have been screened and determined to have a “calm and laid-back” temperament, and these families must also have no cats at home, and no history of cat allergies or aggressiveness to animals.
Researchers checked the welfare of the cat two to three days after being adopted and at 6, 12, and 18 weeks. During these times, the researchers measured their weight, the cat’s stress score, and fecal cortisol.
“Cortisol is a measure of stress that we tracked by collecting cat feces samples, and we noticed a significant drop in cortisol over time,” Carlisle said, according to a MU press release. “If cats are stressed, they will also lose weight because they don’t eat, but we found that cats actually gained a little weight after being adopted and then maintained their weight over time, so these two findings indicate that cats are adapting well. very good.”
In short, the cats in the study showed no signs of increased pressure on the new family.
“In our research, we found that cats adapt well to their new family, and over time, the stress is significantly reduced,” Carlisle points out.
The researchers said the results show that when the cat’s temperament has been screened, families of children with ASD can successfully adopt cats. According to Carlisle, using “research-based objective measures to screen temperament may help increase the likelihood of successful, long-term matches.”
Although the sample size of the study is small and therefore “impossible to generalize”, the researchers pointed out that this can be used as a “starting point” for future cat welfare research.
Carlisle said: “We hope that other scientists can build on our exploratory research work, so that families that house cats and children with autism may benefit.”
Photo: Pixabay
