Summary

Cats are popular and much-loved domestic pets. They live in our homes under different conditions (e.g. outdoor access or indoor lifestyle) and retain many characteristics of their wild ancestors. They are emotional beings and their mental wellbeing (consisting of both emotional and cognitive health and defined as non-physical aspects of a cat’s lived experience) is just as important as their physical health in terms of overall welfare and should given equal weighting by veterinary professionals. 

The welfare of domestic cats is influenced by factors that affect their environment and physical health. Hence, veterinarians play a crucial role in welfare assessment and improvement. Cats, like all species, have specific needs in terms of suitable environmental conditions in which they live to optimise their physical health and mental wellbeing and deficient environments (physical and social) can result in problem behaviours and physical illness. Clinical decisions should be made based on the benefit to the patient and considering any welfare ‘costs’ in terms of drug adverse effects, diagnostic tests or interventions resulting in stress or caregiver burden such as giving oral medications. Novel therapies for diseases may improve physical health, however, adverse effects need to be measured and balanced against improvements in the cat’s health and the prognosis for recovery. Given the potential ‘costs’ of medical intervention, reaching a rapid diagnosis to facilitate prompt and appropriate treatment is desirable and study of accessible tests and associated diagnoses can assist clinicians in this regard. 

Similarly, interventions such as collection of blood for transfusion raise a unique ethical dilemma as the procedure has potential welfare costs to the donors (in terms of damage to physical health and mental wellbeing) without benefit. As such, the process must minimise these costs as much as possible and examination of factors influencing adverse donor reactions is a priority. More frequent veterinary interventions are the prescription of oral medications. However, physically administering oral medications can cause damage to the cat and caregiver bond, and impact the cat’s mental wellbeing and physical health, the latter due to non-compliance. 

The experience of the cat in the veterinary clinic will impact both mental wellbeing and physical health (and hence, welfare) and meeting the cat’s environmental and interaction needs will result in a reduction in protective emotions and encourage engaging emotions and cognitive health improving future experiences. It is challenging to monitor the impacts of schemes to improve the veterinary environment for cats and further research using robust scoring systems that assess emotional as well as physical health before and after interventions is needed. 

Similarly, environmental deficits in the home can affect mental wellbeing, and be indicated by exhibition of problem behaviours. Management of such behaviours, and some physical illnesses such as urinary tract diseases, requires exploration of the cat’s environment as well as treatment of any physical abnormalities.  

Further research to investigate interventions in the veterinary clinic as part of the Cat Friendly Clinic programme and their impact on feline physical health and mental wellbeing, as well as further exploration of home environmental optimisation are desirable. Feline welfare is influenced by physical health and mental wellbeing, and each is impacted by multiple important factors including the physical and social environment, illness and treatments as well as veterinary interventions.