Who conducted the study? When was it published?
The study was carried out by a cross-disciplinary team of researchers in the fields of psychology, animal welfare, and bioethics, all based at Massey University in New Zealand.Their paper was published in April 2021 in the journal ‘Animals’ in an open access format, meaning the paper is free for anyone to read.
WHAT DID THE STUDY INVOLVE?
The researchers used a qualitative approach in order to undertake an investigation of the perspectives of cat owners who had recently made an end of life decision for their cat. In this regard, a qualitative approach refers to their methods of data collection. Rather than ask cat owners to complete a survey with a specific set of pre-determined questions and tick box answers, the researchers spoke directly to cat owners during a series of face-to-face interviews, using open-ended questions.This approach was anticipated to provide a richer, more in-depth understanding of the complex factors that surround owners’ experiences, which they could talk out in their own words.
A total of 14 adult New
Zealand cat owners who had had their cat put to sleep within the last three months were interviewed.This specific number was considered sufficient based on the notion of ‘theme saturation’. This means that the interview of the 14th person yielded no new information that hadn’t already been discussed by the previous participants.
The interviews were described as having a semi-structured, conversational, and relaxed format.This approach is generally considered the best way to gain quality insight into peoples’ perspectives on a topic, as they may be more likely to open up and share when they feel relaxed and able to speak freely. During the interviews, the researchers used a series of open-ended questions to guide peoples’ responses.
Transcripts of the interviews were analysed using a special software program called NVivo.This program searches through the data and automatically identifies a series of important themes that emerge. As these themes are directly derived from the words and phrases that people used during their interviews, they are considered to reflect the key aspects of end of life decision making for cats, from the owners’ perspective.
WHAT WERE THE MAIN FINDINGS OF THE STUDY?
The study identified two main overarching themes within owners’ responses.
The first theme related to ‘animal centred’ concerns that were focused on changes in the cats’ behaviour and the impacts of pain and ageing. Owners also mentioned how other people could more clearly see the cat’s condition than they could.They talked about
Owners struggled to identify that their cats were
in pain.
changes in their cat’s eating habits, such as going off their food, as well as weight loss and a reduction in activity. Some owners also mentioned their cat starting to house soil and being less keen to interact with them.
The study highlighted that
PTS decisions were generally made shortly after the point where ill cats started going off their favourite foods. In contrast, a lack of obvious behaviour changes, even in otherwise chronically ill cats, were perceived to indicate that the cat was faring well.
In relation to pain, the study reported that owners struggled to identify that their cats were in pain and that when cats went on to pain relief, this was usually at the recommendation of the vet, rather than instigated by the owner. One owner commented regretfully that if they had known that their cat was in pain, they would have “done something a lot sooner.”
In relation to ageing, the study also highlighted that owners struggled to distinguish between normal ageing and a deterioration in the cats’ health or qualify of life that might warrant the need for euthanasia. For example, cats slowing down, losing weight, and body condition were often described as just ‘getting old quickly’, rather than having symptoms of underlying poor health. Finally, owners also discussed finding it hard to detect changes in their cat if the cat’s condition deteriorated slowly, and emphasised the importance of gaining the perspective of others, especially people that hadn’t seen the cat for a while. Some owners described their cat’s worsening condition as just “creeping up on them.”
The second theme was related to ‘human centred’ concerns that included owners discussions with other people about their cat (such as vets, friends, and family) and also focused on the needs of the owner, their relationship with their cat, and the vet’s understanding of this.
Owners also wanted to know what to expect from their cat’s prognosis and to be better able to predict the related time frames and outcomes.This theme outlined how most owners appeared to be very dedicated to their cat, felt a deep connection to them, and wanted to put their cat’s needs first.
For one owner, the positive view they had of their vet was due to the vet understanding that the owner’s cats were her ‘children’ and of great value to her. Owners also talked about the difficulties they faced when other people in their lives couldn’t understand the special relationship they had with their cat.This was particularly challenging when it came to needing support from friends and family members following the loss of their cat because owners were left feeling that they couldn’t reach out as others wouldn’t understand their grief. Some of the owners interviewed were also dealing with chronic illness themselves and reported becoming very attached to their cat while recuperating at home and coming to rely on their cat for company.
In relation to owner’s perspectives of death, the study reported that most people thought that this was a normal process and that euthanasia was a way to end their cat’s suffering. However, the majority of owners discussed their difficulties in facing their cat’s death and didn’t want to ‘give up’ on their cat in case they were left wondering ‘what if’ (the cat recovered). Owners found it particularly hard to make end of life decisions where their cat’s prognosis was unclear and opted to wait until they were better able to make the decision, meaning it was clearer that the cat was suffering or wouldn’t recover.
Owners also mentioned the importance of continuity of care (i.e. seeing the same vet each time for their cat’s treatment) and that good vets were those that were empathic and seemed
competent and genuinely caring and understanding. Owners also described not being happy with their vet if they seemed inexperienced or their values and opinions about euthanasia didn’t align to their own. On the other hand, owners greatly valued their vets’ opinions about their cats’ prognosis and that the vet could provide reassurance that the owners’ had made the right decision.This validation from the vet was considered to help the owners with the grieving process.
Finally, owners also talked about the uncertainty and the not knowing how long their cat had left, what the outcome would be, and what their cat would go through towards the end of their life. This uncertainty led owners to pose these questions to their vets and also search online for answers. Owners also reported appreciating their vet being honest with them and indicating what they would do if it was their cat.