ArticleScientific reports2024
Hair cortisol concentrations in clipped and combed hair and associations with characteristics, health status and stress in domestic cats.
Article in Scientific reports, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Assessing Cat Welfare: A Literature Review on Behavioural, Physiological and Health Parameters with a Focus on Animal-Assisted Services (AAS).Veterinary sciences · 2026Review
- Factors affecting hair cortisol concentration in privately owned intact cats.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2026Article
- Donkey hair cortisol concentrations are associated with carrying heavy load and being beaten at work.BMC veterinary research · 2025Article
- Factors Affecting Hair Cortisol Concentration in Domestic Dogs: A Focus on Factors Related to Dogs and Their Guardians.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025Article
- RETRACTED: Hair Cortisol and Fe-BARQ: Evaluating Chronic Stress and Behavior in Cats with Chronic Kidney Disease.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) are measured to assess long-term HPA-axis activity and may represent a valuable non-invasive tool to evaluate chronic stress in cats. This study investigated combing as a novel, low-stress method for HCC assessment, as well as possible associations between HCC and cat characteristics in 167 owned cats. Hair was sampled at veterinary clinics through clipping and/or combing the cat, or at home by the owner combing the cat. A questionnaire was sent to cat owners, including inquiries about the cat's sex, health status, and exposure to stress. HCC was quantified using a commercial cortisol assay kit. Despite variations within and between sampling methods, Spearman's correlation and Bland-Altman plots revealed a moderate correlation between clipped and combed samples (rs = 0.61, LOA -5.51 ± 22.54). In multiple linear regression, variations in HCC were observed based on sex, health status and cat group size. No associations were found between HCC and stress as assessed by owners. Despite study limitations and remaining uncertainty regarding factors influencing HCC, combing presents a convenient approach for evaluating long-term HPA-axis activity in clinical settings. The association between health and HCC suggests alterations in cortisol levels that are related to disease processes and stress-inducing events associated with the disease.
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