Betty Yang - China
Similar to previous summers, this summer I traveled back to my hometown, Guangzhou, China. Unlike previously where I spent the majority of the time traveling with my family and visiting relatives, this summer I gained insights on shelter medicine and animal welfare in China, and improved my scientific literacy.
One of my goals as a future veterinarian is to foster the human-animal bond through medicine and advising. As cat ownership is on the rise, proper human interactions with cats become more and more important as the human and cat relationship can be heavily affected by the way they interact. Therefore, I became interested in conducting research on preferences and effects of human-initiated interactions on cats, hoping that the results of this study can improve cat welfare and human-cat bond. Conducting the research in China provides an unique cultural and social context to learn how cultural beliefs and community dynamics influence the way people care for and emotionally bond with cats.
I conducted the research project under the mentorship of Dr. Zhang, a researcher and lecturer at the Laboratory of Companion Animal Science at South China Agricultural University, one of the top agricultural university in China. Under her guidance, the experimental portion of the study was conducted at Bingbing Team Stray Cat Rescue Center. At the center, I interacted with 12 cats on 8 different types of treatments that are grouped in either auditory, treat, playing, or petting. I wanted to see whether the shelter cats will favor a specific type of interactions through testing and evaluating their salivory oxytocin and cortisol. After collecting the saliva samples, the sample were then centrifuged and evaluated using ELIZA kits. Although I’ve learned about ELIZA in school, it was fascinating to actually implement it myself and see it in action. With the results of the samples and the help from students of Dr. Zhang, I learned to analyze the data and interpret the results scientifically.
While doing the experiment at the rescue center, I learned that most of the “shelters” in China like Bingbing are self-funded, privately run, and maintains a no-kill policy. In addition, I noticed that many of the cats weren’t born as strays, but often times, they were either abandoned or abused. It made me realize that public awareness of responsible pet ownership and animal welfare is still developing and that the challenges shelters face in China go beyond just rescuing animals from the street. Without widespread education, legal protections, or government funding, these shelters carry the burden of caring for animals failed by society. To contribute to TNR efforts, Bingbing provides free spay and neuter services to stray cats. Whenever available, I was invited to assist in those surgeries and even perform neuter on cats under the supervision of the veterinarian. Additionally, I participated in deworming and vaccinating all 150 cats in the center.
Although the results of my study were inconclusive, Dr. Zhang plans to conduct the study again, extending the interaction time for more significant changes of oxytocin and cortisol. Through conversations I’ve had in China, I realized that much like how my study requires further refinement, the development of animal welfare and protection laws in China also calls for continued progress and attention. This trip had deepen my understanding of animal welfare challenges in different cultural contexts and explore ways to contribute meaningfully through research and advocacy which I will continue in my future career.
Lastly, I would like to thank my mentor Dr. Melissa Bain, Dr. Lingna Zhang, students at the South China Agricultural University, Bingbing Team Cat Rescue Center, UC Davis Office for Globals Program, and Krade Feline Funds for all their support!