A study by Carlo Siracusa, associate professor of clinical behavior medicine at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine, will look at how chronic inflammation affects cognition, behavior and overall health of senior cats.
The study, awarded the Mark L. Morris Jr. Investigator Award by the Morris Animal Foundation, will look at 100 pet cats 7 years or older to check for signs of chronic inflammation as well as assess their behavior, living environment and cognitive abilities.
“There is an increasing body of evidence that shows the immune system and inflammatory response have an influence on behavior, but we don’t yet have enough data on cats,” said Siracusa. “We want to investigate how physical health influences mental health, and vice versa.”
There’s more in Pet Connection, the weekly nationally syndicated pet feature I co-write with Kim Campbell Thornton and my daughter, trainer Mikkel Becker.
