Feline Research - UGent

26/08/2026

21/07/2026

Report and audio of my interview with a Canadian radio station!
The research is spreading. :D

Sometimes when a cat grooms another cat, it's nice. A cat helping another cat out, scratching those hard-to-get spots on the back of the neck. Other times? It's more like, "Hey, I want that nice nap spot, and I'm going to annoy you until you get out of here."

14/07/2026

Today in the British press! Our study on allogrooming is featured in UK journals including The Times and The Independent as well as on BBC redio.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/the-sinister-motivation-behind-cats-licking-each-other/ar-AA27Tadk?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=6a563417f4cf46808b65a4c044b8d536&ei=18

I am so pleased people worldwide are learning about their cats! 🐱🐱

13/07/2026

Niet elke kattenwas is een liefdesverklaring, toont Gents onderzoek.

Lees het hele artikel via de link in de reacties.

11/07/2026

Wow, our paper on grooming behaviour between cats is featured in The New York Times!!! 😻😺💪

Read the article via https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/10/science/cat-grooming-licking-research.html?unlocked_article_code=1.wlA.OJu_.YiFiPHpVq81B&smid=url-share

A new study finds that sometimes cats groom each other specifically to be annoying.

06/07/2026

🐈 𝐅𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 & 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩

The past two weeks I spent in the UK 🇬🇧 I attended the World Feline Congress in Newport, Wales, and visited the Behaviour Clinic at the University of Lincoln. I met many wonderful people and learned a lot. Here are a few takeaways:

🐱 Making veterinary visits as low-stress as possible (low stress handling) is essential — not only for the cat’s welfare, but also because stress can influence clinical results such as blood work and other parameters.
🐱 Inappropriate elimination in cats is never “spiteful behaviour”, but usually a sign of an underlying medical or behavioural issue (or a combination of both). It’s important not to wait too long and to seek advice from a veterinarian or veterinary behaviourist.
🐱 Cats with chronic conditions (e.g. arthritis, asthma, kidney disease) may become more irritable. Pain, discomfort, and disrupted sleep can all play a role in how emotions are regulated.

🐈 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬 & 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞

De afgelopen twee weken was ik in het VK! 🇬🇧 Ik nam deel aan het World Feline Congress (Newport, Wales) en bezocht de gedragskliniek van de Universiteit van Lincoln. Ik ontmoette er veel fijne mensen en leerde ontzettend veel bij. Enkele takeaways:

🐱 Een dierenartsbezoek zo stressvrij mogelijk maken (low stress handling) is essentieel. Niet alleen voor het welzijn van de kat, maar ook omdat stress klinische resultaten (zoals bloedwaarden) kan beïnvloeden.
🐱 Onzindelijkheid bij katten is nooit “pesten”, maar wijst meestal op een medisch of gedragsmatig probleem (of een combinatie). Laat dit altijd onderzoeken door een (gedrags)dierenarts.
🐱 Chronisch zieke katten (bv. artrose, astma, nierfalen) kunnen prikkelbaarder worden. Pijn, ongemak en verstoorde slaap spelen hierbij vaak een rol.

24/06/2026

𝐉𝐨𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐞, 𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐚𝐫!

De afgelopen maanden heb ik hard gezwoegd aan mijn thesis en veel ups & downs later is hij ingediend! Erg blij met het finale werk, nu nog afwachten wat de jury ervan vindt.

Ik kijk er alvast heel erg naar uit om dit najaar de finale resultaten hier te kunnen delen!

Wordt vervolgd ... 🐱

___________________
𝐘𝐚𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝!

Over the past few months, I have worked very hard on my thesis and, after many ups and downs, it has finally been submitted! Very happy with the final work; now it's time to wait and see what the jury thinks of it.

I am already very much looking forward to being able to share the final results here this autumn!

To be continued ... 🐱

15/05/2026

🐈🐈 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭 - 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐟𝐮𝐫?

We studied allogrooming in cats—when one cat grooms another—and uncovered some remarkable results. Check out the images to learn more!

Full paper available via https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168159126001292?dgcid=raven_sd_aip_email

In collaboration with Christel Moons, Frank Tuyttens, Bart Broeckx, Noema Gajdoš Kmecová and Daniel Mills. Many thanks to all the cat caregivers that participated in the study! ❤️

10/05/2026

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟐 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 🐱

Check it out via https://mindingmittens.substack.com/p/the-tail-tells-the-tale-part-ii?r=1o5jkh

In conversation with cat welfare expert Morgane Van Belle

04/05/2026

Radio-interview over eetgewoontes van katten! 👇

https://www.vrt.be/vrtmax/luister/radio/n/nieuwe-feiten~11-9/nieuwe-feiten~11-37265-0/fragment~54f08bf3-8e85-4574-a662-74c45cd50d51/