Clinical relevance of rectal temperature measurement in cats showing marked signs of stress during routine veterinary examinations

Abstract

Rectal temperature is a vital sign commonly measured during veterinary examinations. This procedure is known to be a major source of stress especially for cats. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical relevance of rectal temperature measurement in healthy cats with signs of marked stress during a routine veterinary appointment. We hypothesized that since higher temperatures would be mostly found in cats with moderate to marked signs of stress, veterinarians would not change their clinical approach in these cats. A user-friendly Simplified Feline Stress Scale (SFSS) was developed. Its trial was the main objective of the pilot study (part 1) designed for 100 cats. Data surrounding temperature measurement in cats was documented (value of rectal temperature, time of restraint needed, and various factors related to cats and clinical staff such as age, sex and more) to evaluate potential associations with stress. Then, during a large-scale study (part 2) of 678 cats the previously validated SFSS was performed by clinical staff in 11 veterinary establishments concurrently with temperature measurements. The final portion of the study (part 3) was an online survey completed by veterinarians across the province of Quebec in order to document the reasons a high rectal temperature in a healthy cat might motivate a change of therapeutic plans. This study showed that veterinary appointments were associated with moderate to marked levels of stress in 62% of feline patients. Agreement between clinical staff-assessed and experienced observer-assessed SFSS scores during the temperature measurement was perfect in 74% of cases and even higher when clinical staff had received previous behavioral training. The majority of calm cats with low signs of stress were under 6 months of age. No change in the therapeutic plan was deemed necessary in stressed cats with an abnormal temperature if they were healthy. According to the online survey, 80% of veterinarians would not modify their treatment plan in such situations. The results of this study suggest that rectal temperature measurement in healthy cats during routine examination is not necessary and could be avoided in highly stressed feline patients.