Telehealth can improve care for cats with chronic health issues

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, worked with pet owners across the United States and Canada to determine whether video telehealth visits could help improve care and the home environment for cats with feline degenerative joint disease, commonly referred to as feline arthritis.

The findings, published in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science, show that video calls where pet owners can ask questions and get non-medical advice can be beneficial. More than 95% of those who took part in the research said they would pay for telehealth visits, though most were willing to pay a little less than for in-clinic appointments.

"Teleadvice is meant to provide advice and support for caregivers caring for their cats," said lead author Grace Boone, an assistant specialist in the UC Davis Animal Welfare Epidemiology Lab. "We found that overall everybody was quite interested in video telehealth for home management of their cats and their mobility issues."

A common ailment

Routine veterinary care is important to prevent, mitigate and treat health and behavioral problems. And feline arthritis is quite common, present in roughly 6% to 30% of cats under age 10 and from 64% to 92% of those older than 10, Boone said.

"Cats are great at hiding signs of pain," said Carly Moody, senior author on the paper and an assistant animal science professor. "These conditions are prevalent and pain is a serious health and welfare issue that needs to be addressed. Telehealth is beneficial because it allows you to take out that clinic stressor for some aspects of care."

The researchers recruited 106 pet owners whose cats had mobility issues. Each one filled out a questionnaire about their cat's mobility, barriers to getting in-person care and how they felt about telehealth.

Pet owners in the test group took the survey and participated in six video visits -- one every three weeks over four months -- and then retook the survey. The control group only received the questionnaire at the beginning of the research and four months later. A presentation on caring for cats with mobility issues also was offered to all participants at the end.

In the home video session, Boone asked general questions about the cat's wellbeing and mobility, and suggested modifications if owners asked for advice. Suggestions included elevated food and water dishes to ease neck strain, larger litter boxes with shorter walls, and additional steps to access favorite places. Pet owners reported that the visits helped them understand their cats' needs, making them more confident in how they cared for their cats.

"There's a lot of in-home modifications that can be implemented to increase cat comfort in the home," Moody said. "Telehealth allows veterinary professionals to see and understand the cat's home environment and make recommendations which can be helpful for the cat."

Advice not medicine

Telehealth visits don't require a veterinarian. A registered veterinary technician or other knowledgeable staff member can conduct the calls, answer questions and give advice. They are not meant to replace in-person veterinary care but rather supplement it, Moody said.

"There's ways you can incorporate telehealth to make it easier for the owner and the cat and increase the number of visits and support an owner is receiving, particularly when they're caring for a cat that requires chronic high levels of care at home," Moody said.

The visits have the potential to foster better veterinarian-client-patient relationships. "Rather than being something that detracts from in-person care, I think you can improve it and help supplement it," Boone said.

Evaluating changes in the home

Next up is to determine whether recommended changes based on expert advice can improve a cat's wellbeing in the home.

"I think it would be really interesting to look at these interventions and specifically say, 'Are they helpful?' If somebody's not willing to change a lot of things in their home, you could prioritize the ones that make the most difference for the cat's welfare," Moody said.

Moody's lab may also examine whether telehealth could be beneficial for other health issues like obesity and disease prevention.

Hao-Yu Shih from the Mayo Clinic and Daniel Pang, who is affiliated with the University of Calgary and University of Montreal in Canada, contributed to the research. It was supported by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the family foundation Maddie's Fund.