Table 1.
Variables assessed as potential risk factors for owner-reported lower urinary tract signs in cats aged 18 months enrolled in the Bristol Cats Study
| Variable | Description | Categories |
|---|---|---|
| Sex | Sex of cat reported by owner | Male Female |
| Breed | Breed | DSH/DLH Pedigree |
| Diet (at 12 months and 18 months) | Owners asked to state which food type(s) they fed their cat and in what proportions | 100% wet Mostly wet 100% dry Mostly dry 50:50 Mix (wet, dry, fresh) Fresh (100% and ‘mostly’) |
| Change in diet between 12 months and 18 months of age | Did the diet category change between 12 months and 18 months of age? | No Yes |
| Multi- or single-cat household (12 months and 18 months) |
This variable was derived from questions the owner was asked about how many cats had joined or left the household | Multi-cat Single cat |
| Change in multi-/single- cat household status between 12 months and 18 months of age | Did the household change from single- to multi-cat or multi- to single-cat between 12 months and 18 months of age? | Yes No |
| Age of neutering | Age at neutering, as stated by owner | ⩽4 months 5–6 months ⩾7 months Entire at 18 months |
| Number of cats in neighbourhood at 12 months and 18 months of age | Number of cats reported by the owner to be in the neighbourhood at 12 months and 18 months of age | None 1–5 6–10 ⩾11 |
| Visiting cats (12 months and 18 months) |
This variable was derived from three separate questions. The owner was asked if any of the cats in the neighbourhood: (1) come into their house; (2) come into their garden; or (3) stare through cat flaps, doors or windows | Yes No Don’t know |
| Reaction to the ‘visiting’ cats (12 months and 18 months)* |
Owners were asked how their cat reacted if the cat saw any of the visiting cats in their house or garden | Positive Negative No reaction Mixed reaction |
| Indoor and outdoor lifestyle (12 months and 18 months) |
Owners were asked what the outdoor access of their cat was | Indoor only Indoors but outside on a lead or in a run Outdoors and indoors Outdoors only |
| Change in indoor and outdoor lifestyle between 12 months and 18 months of age | Did the indoor and outdoor lifestyle category change between 12 months and 18 months of age? | Yes No |
| Moved house (18 months) |
Had the owner moved house in the past year? | Yes No |
| BCS (18 months) |
Owner-reported body condition score | 1 (very thin) 2 (thin) 3 (ideal) 4 (overweight) 5 (obese) |
| Interaction with other cats in household (18 months) † | If the household was a multi-cat household, owners were asked to report how their cat interacted with other cats in the household | Positive reaction Negative reaction Indifferent/no reaction Mixed reaction |
| Been in fight in past 6 months (18 months) |
Owners were asked to report if their cat had been in a fight with another cat in the past 6 months | Yes No |
| Age of questionnaire completion (18–48 months) |
The age of the cat as reported by the owner at the completion of Q4 (18 m), Q5 (30 m) and Q6 (48 m) | Age in months |
The categories in this variable were derived from the answers provided by the owner; a positive response was defined if the cat only reacted in a positive way (‘rubs against them’, ‘licks or grooms them’, ‘plays with them’, ‘skirts around them’), a negative response if the cat reacted only in a negative way (‘hisses or spits’, ‘chases them’, ‘swipes his/her paw’, ‘runs away’), no reaction if the cat only reacted in an indifferent way (‘ignores them’, ‘stays still’), and a mixed response if they had a positive and/or negative and/or no reaction
The categories in this variable were derived from the answers provided by the owner; a positive response was defined if the cat only reacted in a positive way (‘shares a sleeping place with another cat’, ‘grooms another cat’, ‘is groomed by another cat’, ‘rubs on another cat’, ‘is rubbed on by another cat’, ‘plays with another cat’), a negative response if the cat reacted only in a negative way (‘chases another cat’, ‘is chased by another cat’, ‘hisses or spits at another cat’, ‘is hissed or spat at by another cat’, ‘is reluctant to pass another cat in a narrow space; eg, doorway’, ‘blocks or inhibits the movement of another cat’), an indifferent/no reaction if the cat only reacted in an indifferent way (‘sleeps in the same room as another cat, but not close together’), and a mixed response if they had a positive and/or negative and/or indifferent/no reaction.
DSH = domestic shorthair; DLH = domestic longhair; BCS = body condition score; Q4 = questionnaire 4; Q5 = questionnaire 5; Q6 = questionnaire 6