Hair Cortisol and Fe-BARQ: Evaluating Chronic Stress and Behavior in Cats with Chronic Kidney Disease

This study used hair cortisol concentration (HCC) and the Feline Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire as indicators of chronic stress status and behavioral changes in cats, respectively. Few studies have simultaneously employed both indices to examine cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study aimed to evaluate HCC and questionnaire data from control group cats (<i>n</i> = 21) and those with CKD (<i>n</i> = 21). Additionally, we investigated the correlation between HCC and living environment. For this study, hair samples were collected from the cats' abdomens and analyzed for HCC. Owners completed questionnaires to provide information on their cats' behavior, demographics, environmental factors, and household characteristics over 3 months. Cats in the late-stage CKD group had significantly higher HCC levels than those in the early-stage CKD and control groups. We observed different associations between behavioral patterns, living environments, and HCC depending on the stage of CKD progression. The consistency between the HCC findings and questionnaire results, including the higher HCC levels in the late-stage CKD group and behavioral changes in the CKD group, suggests the possibility of a complex interaction between CKD progression and chronic stress.