{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,22]],"date-time":"2026-10-22T12:41:43Z","timestamp":1792672903900,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":17,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,7]],"date-time":"2026-07-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783382400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,7]],"date-time":"2026-07-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783382400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,10]]},"abstract":"\n Objectives<\/jats:title>\n This study compared veterinary clinics with and without designated cat-only areas or hours across four domains: feline stress during visits, handling and restraint techniques, owner education on preventive care and common diseases, and overall client satisfaction.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n \n A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted across eight clinics in Greater Lisbon, Portugal (between November 2015 and January 2016). In total, 204 cat owners completed a 37-question survey evaluating clinic experience, feline stress, owner education and service quality. Respondents were divided based on whether their clinic offered feline-segregated areas or hours (n\u2009=\u200996) or not (n\u2009=\u2009108). Data were analysed using \u03c7\n 2<\/jats:sup>\n and Mann\u2013Whitney U-tests (\n P<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009<0.05), with effect sizes calculated via Cram\u00e9r\u2019s V and rank-biserial correlation.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n Owners at non-segregated clinics reported greater difficulty removing cats from carriers (\n P<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009=\u20090.034) and administering home medication (\n P<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009=\u20090.040). Their cats were more frequently scruffed (18.4% vs 7.4%) or sedated (10.3% vs 2.5%;\n P<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009=\u20090.046; Cram\u00e9r\u2019s V\u2009=\u20090.24), with the presence of other species increasing perceived stress (\n P<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009=\u20090.004;\n r<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009=\u20090.21). Non-segregated clinic owners also received significantly less information regarding feline leukaemia virus (42.6% vs 17.7% uninformed;\n P<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009<0.001), feline immunodeficiency virus (40.7% vs 15.6%;\n P<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009<0.001), flea prevention (27.8% vs 7.3%;\n P<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009<0.001) and deworming (21.3% vs 5.2%;\n P<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009=\u20090.001). Satisfaction with staff and veterinarians was higher in the segregated group (\n P<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009=\u20090.001 for both).\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusions and relevance<\/jats:title>\n Clinics utilising designated cat-only spaces or hours demonstrated superior outcomes across all evaluated domains. These findings provide quantitative support for cat-friendly principles, suggesting that investing in species segregation, staff training and client education yields tangible improvements in animal welfare, client relationships and veterinary practice quality.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1177\/1098612x261468776","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,8]],"date-time":"2026-07-08T04:50:28Z","timestamp":1783486228000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Feline stress through owners\u2019 eyes: comparing perceptions in veterinary clinics with and without designated cat-only areas or hours"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"28","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-4662-4562","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Annie","family":"Baltz","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"IVC Evidensia, Cork, Ireland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_3_2_2","unstructured":"FEDIAF. Annual report 2023\u20132024. European Pet Food Industry Federation 2024."},{"key":"e_1_3_3_3_2","unstructured":"Hill\u2019s Pet Nutrition. 2025 world of the cat report. Hill\u2019s Pet Nutrition 2025."},{"key":"e_1_3_3_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1098612X221121907"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_5_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ani15060894"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1098612X251320254"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_7_2","unstructured":"International Cat Care. A guide to creating a Cat Friendly Clinic. Part 3: Becoming an ISFM Cat Friendly Clinic. https:\/\/icatcare.org\/resources\/cat-friendly-clinic\/cat_friendly_clinic_guide_part_3.pdf (accessed 24 July 2026)."},{"key":"e_1_3_3_8_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1098612X221128763"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_9_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1098612X221128760"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_10_2","first-page":"102","volume-title":"Feline behavioral health and welfare","author":"Cannon M","year":"2015","unstructured":"Cannon M, Rodan I. The cat in the veterinary practice. In: Rodan I, Heath S (eds). Feline behavioral health and welfare. Elsevier, 2015, pp 102\u2013135."},{"key":"e_1_3_3_11_2","first-page":"18","article-title":"Being friendly to cats \u2026 is it worth the effort?","author":"Mercader P.","year":"2019","unstructured":"Mercader P. Being friendly to cats \u2026 is it worth the effort? Vet Manag Stud Spain 2019: 18\u201320.","journal-title":"Vet Manag Stud Spain"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_12_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1098612X241303394"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_13_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12917-025-04691-2"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_14_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0339172"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_15_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.46419\/vs.55.5.1"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_16_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/v11110993"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_17_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s13071-025-06876-y"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_18_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/jvim.17298"}],"container-title":["Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/1098612X261468776","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/1098612X261468776","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/1098612X261468776","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,22]],"date-time":"2026-10-22T11:49:31Z","timestamp":1792669771000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/1098612X261468776"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,7]]},"references-count":17,"journal-issue":{"issue":"10","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,10]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1177\/1098612X261468776"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/1098612x261468776","relation":{},"ISSN":["1098-612X","1532-2750"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1098-612X","type":"print"},{"value":"1532-2750","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,7]]},"article-number":"1098612X261468776"}}