A new study shows how homeowners can use a questionnaire to find out whether their cat is mentally ill. The questionnaire developed by psychologists called CAT-Tri+ is the first tool of its kind toSymptoms of psychosis in catsbe better recognized. To do this, researchers examined the relationships between thousands of cats and their owners. The new method helps to better analyze the psychological state of the pet.
The questionnaire comes in the form of 46 statements, with owners rating how well each statement describes their pet. Examples include: “My cat tortures its prey instead of killing it immediately,” or “my cat meows too loudly for no apparent reason,” or “my cat is very excitable and acts uncoordinated.” The results will help measure the extent of the cat's psychopathy. Traits such as a lack of empathy and callous aggression mean problems with behavioral restrictions. The animal's fearlessness accordingly indicates a measure of social dominance and fear. The recently developed method also measures the pet's unfriendliness towards people and other pets. Called CAT-Tri+, it is the first tool available to measure psychopathy in cats, according to the study authors.
While it may be fun to find out if a cat is mentally ill, there is a serious side to the tool. The research team hopes it will help improve the relationship between cat owners. This could reduce the number of pets that end up in shelters or are euthanized. The study authors, from the University of Liverpool, claim the questionnaire can help pet owners or veterinarians highlight undesirable behaviors and adjust cats' environments according to their personalities. For example, a cat with a high score on the fearlessness scale may benefit from large scratching posts and tall scratching posts. This is because the resultsthis studyindicate that a brave cat likes to explore and climb.
