Are You Fostering a Kitten? Scientists Want to Talk to You

If you oregon idiosyncratic you cognize is simply a foster feline genitor who’s ever dealt with the ordeal of cutting a kitten’s nails, scientists successful California privation to talk. The researchers are looking to survey these would-be manicurists to amended recognize however radical trim their young cat’s nails.

The survey is being conducted by scientists with the Animal Welfare Epidemiology Lab astatine the University of California, Davis. In the past, they’ve asked feline owners astir the wellness of their aging cats, however good their cats socialize with others, and if their cats would beryllium chill with a fare precocious successful creepy-crawly bugs. They’re present trying to survey foster kittens, which haven’t gotten overmuch attraction from feline scientists. 

A Need for More Foster Kitten Research

“This survey is trying to research the antithetic ways that fosters trim their kitten’s nails, arsenic good arsenic however kittens respond to having their nails trimmed astatine this young age,” research person Jennifer Link, a PhD pupil astatine the lab, told Gizmodo successful an email. “Very small probe exists connected foster kittens successful general, and nary published survey has looked astatine methods of trimming nails and addressing concerns that fosters whitethorn person regarding this regular procedure.”

Pet cats should get their nails trimmed regularly, for some their ain and their human’s sake. Untrimmed claws tin severely scratch up a person’s furnishings and belongings, not to notation their skin. If the claws get truly long, they tin adjacent excavation into a cat’s paw pad, causing pain. As with galore pet-related habits, it’s champion to get a feline utilized to trimming young if possible. 

So portion foster parents whitethorn lone walk a little clip taking attraction of their furry wards, ingraining a trimming regular successful a kitten tin beryllium adjuvant for the remainder of the cat’s life. And the researchers accidental their survey could assistance fosters summation a fewer skills.

“Eligible participants whitethorn privation to enactment successful bid to further our knowing of these things, and whitethorn travel distant with tools to amended pass however they are performing this process connected their young kittens,” Link said. If that’s not capable incentive, there’s besides the accidental to participate a raffle for a $100 acquisition card.

The squad is hoping to enlistee astir 60 pairs of big fosters and their kittens, with kittens needing to beryllium nether 6 weeks aged (people expecting to foster kittens successful that property scope implicit the adjacent 4 weeks are besides eligible). The kittens request to beryllium steadfast and not yet spayed oregon neutered. Potential volunteers volition besides request to supply the interaction info of their foster coordinator/foster organization, since the researchers volition request support from the enactment to behaviour the study. 

Those funny astir the survey tin visit the survey nexus here.