Aspects of human-cat relationship in a one welfare perspective: improving cat welfare and human wellbeing

Animal and human welfare are intrinsically interconnected. The one welfare concept is based on the assumption that there is a strong link between human, social and animal welfare, as well as the environment. Given that cats are one of the most popular human companions in our society and are largely present in our houses, when applying one welfare concept it becomes of utmost importance, for the benefit of both parts, establishing a correct relationship based on understanding cat normal behaviour and having realistic expectations. For the first part of this work we conducted an analysis of 123 videos from three of the most popular social media and video-sharing platforms showing people interacting with their cats in the home setting. We investigated behaviours exhibited by human towards their cats, and behaviours/emotional states displayed by cats. Results show a large number of cat behavioural responses linked to protective emotions, actions performed by humans over cats tend to be disrespectful of the animal communication and signals, and interactions mostly do not occur properly, suggesting that people are not very good at understanding their cat behaviour, communication and emotional states, which might negatively impact on cat welfare and human wellbeing. A greater and higher-quality education and information should be provided to cat caregivers about their pet. Veterinary and paraveterinary staff have a fundamental role in this. The second part of the work is the production of a brochure for caregivers to how properly prepare and manage the cat for the veterinary visit. Many cat caregivers defer the visit in order to avoid the high level of stress for the animal and themselves, associated with bringing their cat to the veterinarian, ending up impairing cat welfare and consequently their wellbeing.