Enrichment sessions as a complementary therapy for hospitalized cats: Implications for stress reduction and sporotrichosis’ lesion recovery

Sporotrichosis treatment in cats requires long-term isolation of infected animals. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of environmental enrichment sessions on the behaviour and lesion progression of cats hospitalized for sporotrichosis treatment. Ten cats were divided into two treatments, enriched (n = 6) and control (n = 4) and observed during eight weeks after admission at the veterinary clinic. All cats were housed in stainless-steel individual cages under the same environmental conditions and medical treatment routine. The enriched treatment participated in individual sessions of physical, cognitive, sensorial, and social (interaction with the researcher) environmental enrichment, three times per week, during 15 to 20minutes, from weeks 2 to 7. The cat stress score (CSS) was assessed, by a previously trained observer, through behavioural observation three times per week before enrichment sessions. The assessment of the cutaneous lesion evolution was performed via photos using a standardized lesion scoring method ranging from 1 to 30 and was analysed in weeks 1, 4, and 8. Statistical analyses were performed in R using mixed linear regression. Our results show that CSS decreased through the study period in both treatments, but cats in the enriched treatment presented a lower Cat Stress Score (CSS) compared to the control treatment (enriched: 1.65 ± 0.1 vs. control: 1.97 ± 0.13; p = 0.04). Additionally, the cats on the enriched treatment also presented better lesion progression in week 8 (enriched: 2.00 ± 1.24 vs. control: 7.67 ± 1.75; p < 0.01). Our results indicates that cats of the enriched treatment presented better lesion progression. Although more studies, including non-blinded observers are needed to support our CSS findings regarding cats under sporotrichosis treatment isolation regimen in a clinical setting.