By placing a pin-sized patch on cats’ paws, pet owners in Japan can administer pet stress tests on their cats. (Stock photo) |
If your cat is looking and/or acting stressed out, a Japanese company said it has developed a pet stress test to know for sure.
Medical Life Care Giken said it has created a special patch that can be placed on the bottom of the pet’s paw to measure the stress level of both cats and dogs by detecting excessive sweat secretion, which is believed to be a sign of stress.
The round, pin-sized patch is applied to the center pad of the animal’s paw and changes color depending on how sweaty the pet is.
The company, which makes a similar patch for humans, said it worked with researchers at Toyama University to study the sweat patterns of dogs and cats, which secrete sweat from their paws, the Japanese publication Nikkei Weekly reported April 29.
The Nikkei Weekly also reported that the company expects strong sales amid a pet boom in Japan. The patches are expected to go on sale in the country later this year. The price is still undecided.
No one has said if the company plans to sell the stress tests in the United States or other countries besides Japan.