A Retrospective Analysis of High Rise Syndrome in Cats in Istanbul:
160 Cases (2016-2017)
Murat Karabağlı1*, Zihni Mutlu1, Didar Aydın
Kaya1, Burcu Ezgi Eragar Duman2, Ceren Nur
Giray Bektaş2, Eylem Bektaş Bilgiç1, Simge
Uğur1, Zeynep Nilüfer Akçasız1, and Muhammed
Taha Temir3
1Istanbul
University-Cerrahpasa, Veterinary Faculty, Surgery Department,
Istanbul, Turkiye; 2Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa,
Institute of Graduate Studies, Istanbul, Turkiye; 3Istanbul
University-Cerrahpasa, Veterinary Faculty, Radiology Department,
Istanbul, Turkiye
*Corresponding author:
murat.karabagli@iuc.edu.tr
Abstract
Within the scope of the study, a total of 160 cats, 96 males and 64
females, who fell from height between August 2016 and August 2017, were
retrospectively evaluated. In addition to the age, gender, breed, neutering
status, clinical and radiographic findings of the cats, the answers given to the
questions asked to the cat owners about the changes in the house they lived in,
pre-existing diseases, and the presence of medication they were constantly using
were evaluated to obtain new data on the etiology. The average age of the cats
was 15.8 months. 65.6% of the cats were 12 months and younger. It was observed
that 109 (68%) of the cats fell from height between April and July, and July was
the month with the highest number of falls from height with 40 patients. Injury
scores increased in direct proportion to the height of the fall. There was a
linear correlation between falls from height and increased daytime hours. The
survival rate of the cats was 93.4%. In conclusion, future studies on high-rise
syndrome in cats should focus more on the effect of sex hormones, and that
screening for parasitic and some bacterial agents such as
Toxoplasma gondii, which is known to
increase suicidal tendency in humans, may yield important results. In addition,
it was seen that evaluating the ratio of unspayed female cats in countries with
temperate climates where doors and windows can be left open for a long period of
the year could make an important contribution to the etiology of this syndrome.
To Cite This Article:
Karabağlı M, Mutlu Z,
Kaya DA, Duman BEE, Bektaş CNG, Bilgiç EB, Uğur S, Akçasız ZN and Temir MT,
2024. A retrospective analysis of high
rise syndrome in cats in istanbul: 160 cases (2016-2017). Pak Vet J,
44(3): 727-732.
http://dx.doi.org/10.29261/pakvetj/2024.205