When you or somebody you realize is a foster cat guardian who’s ever handled the ordeal of slicing a kitten’s nails, scientists in California wish to discuss. The researchers wish to survey these would-be manicurists to raised perceive how folks trim their younger cat’s nails.
The survey is being performed by scientists with the Animal Welfare Epidemiology Lab on the College of California, Davis. Prior to now, they’ve requested feline homeowners concerning the well being of their aging cats, how nicely their cats socialize with others, and if their cats could be cool with a weight loss plan excessive in creepy-crawly bugs. They’re now attempting to check foster kittens, which haven’t gotten a lot consideration from cat scientists.
A Want for Extra Foster Kitten Analysis
“This examine is attempting to discover the completely different ways in which fosters trim their kitten’s nails, in addition to how kittens react to having their nails trimmed at this younger age,” analysis chief Jennifer Hyperlink, a PhD scholar on the lab, instructed Gizmodo in an electronic mail. “Little or no analysis exists on foster kittens generally, and no revealed examine has checked out strategies of trimming nails and addressing issues that fosters might have concerning this routine process.”
Pet cats ought to get their nails trimmed regularly, for each their very own and their human’s sake. Untrimmed claws can badly scratch up an individual’s furnishings and belongings, to not point out their pores and skin. If the claws get actually lengthy, they will even dig right into a cat’s paw pad, inflicting ache. As with many pet-related habits, it’s finest to get a cat used to trimming younger if attainable.
So whereas foster dad and mom might solely spend a short time caring for their furry wards, ingraining a trimming routine in a kitten might be useful for the remainder of the cat’s life. And the researchers say their survey may assist fosters acquire a number of expertise.
“Eligible individuals might wish to take part with a view to additional our understanding of this stuff, and will come away with instruments to raised inform how they’re performing this process on their younger kittens,” Hyperlink mentioned. If that’s not sufficient incentive, there’s additionally the possibility to enter a raffle for a $100 reward card.
The staff is hoping to recruit about 60 pairs of grownup fosters and their kittens, with kittens needing to be underneath 6 weeks outdated (folks anticipating to foster kittens in that age vary over the following 4 weeks are additionally eligible). The kittens should be wholesome and never but spayed or neutered. Potential volunteers may even want to offer the contact information of their foster coordinator/foster group, because the researchers will want permission from the group to conduct the examine.
These curious concerning the examine can visit the survey link here.
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