Behavioral changes in cats following deslorelin implantation or surgical gonadectomy

Velkovska, Mihaela (author), Pereira, Maria (author), Zakošek, Maja (author), Pavlin, Darja (author), Ferré-Dolcet, Lluis (author), Normando, Simona (author), Romagnoli, Stefano E. (author)

Few studies address behavioral changes after deslorelin treatment in cats. As increasingly more owners opt for pharmacological sterilization, understanding deslorelin effects on behavior is critical. This multicentric study compared behavioral changes in cats that were surgically sterilized with those that were treated with deslorelin using an anonymous survey of 19 behavioral changes. Owners of deslorelin-implanted cats completed two questionnaires related to the flare-up and downregulation periods, while owners of gonadectomized cats completed only one questionnaire. A total of 66 answers were collected (24 for surgical sterilization, 24 for flare-up, and 18 for downregulation). Decrease in urine marking, excessive vocalization, intact male cat urine odor, and disobedience were significantly higher in downregulated cats compared to gonadectomized ones. In the flare-up group, 68% of females exhibited behavioral manifestation of induced heat. Males displayed flare-up behaviors less frequently and intensively than females after implantation with deslorelin. Age at sterilization exerted a significant effect on five behaviors in deslorelin-implanted cats. Owners of deslorelin treated cats in the downregulation phase reported a more pronounced decrease in undesirable behaviors than the owners of surgically sterilized cats.

• Language: English
• Keywords: felines, flare-up, pharmacological sterilization, castration
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: VF - Veterinary Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 15 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 12, iss. 5, art. 430
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-169043
• UDC: 617:618.1:636.09
• ISSN on article: 2306-7381
• DOI: 10.3390/vetsci12050430
• COBISS.SI-ID: 234925571
• Publication date in RUL: 08.05.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Veterinary sciences
• Shortened title: Vet. sci.
• Publisher: MDPI AG
• ISSN: 2306-7381
• COBISS.SI-ID: 523429657

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Projects

• Funder: Virbac Animal Health France