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We aim to make our research as accessible as possible to share findings more widely and benefit as many cats as possible.

Since the Research team was launched, all our research has been published in open-access formats, meaning it is free to view and download by everyone. If you have any questions about our papers, past or present, please contact the team at research@cats.org.uk  

We also support the Bristol Cats Study. A full list of Bristol Cats Study publications is available on the University of Bristol website.  

Our research publications

Human-cat interactions

Sustained improvements in human–cat interaction in the shelter sector: a study of a best-practice educational intervention 
Hatam, E. V., Barcelos, A. M., Waterman, J., Bhatia, A., and Finka, L. (2026) Front. Vet. Sci. 13:1880180 

Mortality

Mortality and life table analysis in a young cohort of pet cats in the UK 
Taylor A.R., McDonald J., Foreman-Worsley R., Hibbert A., Blackwell E.J. (2025) Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 27.  

Neutering

Long-term effect of neutering age on body condition score and bodyweight in domestic cats 
Foreman-Worsley R., Blackwell E., Finka L.R., Skillings E., McDonald J.L. (2025) Veterinary Record, e5433.   

Evaluation of a brief video intervention aimed at UK-based veterinary surgeons to encourage neutering cats at four months old: A randomised controlled trial 
McDonald, J., & Clements, J. (2022) PLoS ONE, 17(2), e0263353.   

Contrasting practices and opinions of UK‐based veterinary surgeons around neutering cats at four months old 
McDonald, J., & Clements, J. (2020) Veterinary Record, 187, 317-317.   

Field study assessing the performance of a patient-side blood test to determine neuter status in female cats based on detection of luteinising hormone

Morrow, L.D., Gruffydd-Jones, T.J., Skillings, E., Welsh, C.P. & Murray, J.K. (2019) Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 21, 553-558.   

Pain assessment

Explainable automated pain recognition in cats   
Feighelstein M., Henze L., Meller S., Shimshoni I., Hermoni B., Berko M., Twele F., Schütter A., Dorn N., Kästner S., Finka L. (2023) Scientific Reports. 2023, 13:8973  

Population management

Domestic cat management in the UK: learnings from a global perspective 
McDonald J.L., Hodgson D.J., Roberts C., Finka L., Halls V., & Foreman-Worsley R (2025) Frontiers in Veterinary Science,12:1610123.   

Engaging with socio-economically disadvantaged communities and their cats: Human behaviour change for animal and human benefit 
McDonald, J.L., & Clements, J. (2019) Animals, 9, 175. 

Integrating trap-neuter-return campaigns into a social framework: Developing long-term positive behavior change toward unowned cats in urban areas 
McDonald, J.L., Farnworth, M.J., & Clements, J. (2018). Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 5, 258.  
  

Population modelling and estimating cat populations

Cat: Empirical modelling of Felis catus population dynamics in the UK  
McDonald, J., Finka, L., Foreman-Worsley, R., Skillings, E., & Hodgson, D. (2023) PLoS ONE, 18, e0287841.   

Counting Cats: The integration of expert and citizen science data for unbiased inference of population abundance 
McDonald, J.L., & Hodgson, D. (2021) Ecology and Evolution, 11, 4325-4338. 

Human influences shape the first spatially explicit national estimate of urban unowned cat abundance 
McDonald, J.L., & Skillings, E. (2021) Scientific Reports, 11, 20216.   

A standard protocol to report discrete stage‐structured demographic information 
Gascoigne, S.J., Rolph, S., Sankey, D., Nidadavolu, N., Stell Pičman, A.S., Hernández, C.M., McDonald, J.L., & Salguero‐Gómez, R. (2023). Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 14(8), 2065-2083. 

Purebred cats

A framework to refocus the conversation around the welfare of UK purebred cats 
Roberts, C., Foreman-Worsley, R., O’Neill, D.G., & McDonald, J.L. (2025) Animal Welfare, 34, e76. 

Shelter management

Part 1: A Sector-Wide Survey of UK/British Isles Shelter Organisations Caring for Cats: Caregiver-Reported Approaches to Housing, Husbandry and General Care Provision  
Finka, L.R., Barcelos, A.M., Waterman, J., Bhatia, A., McDonald, J.L., Foreman-Worsley, R. and Skillings, B. (2026) Vet. Sci. 2026, 13(6), 587 

Part 2: A Sector-Wide Survey of UK/British Isles Shelter Organisations Caring for Cats: Caregiver-Reported Approaches to Assessments, Behaviour Management and Homing Decisions 
Finka, L.R., Barcelos, A.M., Waterman, J., Bhatia, A., McDonald, J.L., Foreman-Worsley, R. and Skillings, B. (2026) Vet. Sci. 2026, 13(6), 590

Sustained improvements in human–cat interaction in the shelter sector: a study of a best-practice educational intervention 
Hatam, E. V., Barcelos, A. M., Waterman, J., Bhatia, A., and Finka, L. (2026) Front. Vet. Sci. 13:1880180 

Unowned cats

An Investigation of Shelter Workers’ Perspectives on the Assessment and Management of Unowned Cat Welfare in the United Kingdom  
Bhatia, A., Barcelos, A. M., McDonald, J. L., Waterman, J., and Finka, L. (2026) Animals 16, 1641. 

Welfare assessment

Part 1: A Sector-Wide Survey of UK/British Isles Shelter Organisations Caring for Cats: Caregiver-Reported Approaches to Housing, Husbandry and General Care Provision  
Finka, L.R., Barcelos, A.M., Waterman, J., Bhatia, A., McDonald, J.L., Foreman-Worsley, R. and Skillings, B. (2026) Vet. Sci. 2026, 13(6), 587 

Part 2: A Sector-Wide Survey of UK/British Isles Shelter Organisations Caring for Cats: Caregiver-Reported Approaches to Assessments, Behaviour Management and Homing Decisions 
Finka, L.R., Barcelos, A.M., Waterman, J., Bhatia, A., McDonald, J.L., Foreman-Worsley, R. and Skillings, B. (2026) Vet. Sci. 2026, 13(6), 590

Welfare intervention

Sustained improvements in human–cat interaction in the shelter sector: a study of a best-practice educational intervention 
Hatam, E. V., Barcelos, A. M., Waterman, J., Bhatia, A., and Finka, L. (2026) Front. Vet. Sci. 13:1880180 

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