Praktik Cara Pemeliharaan dan Hubungannya dengan Kejadian Penyakit Virus pada Kucing Pasca COVID-19

Abstract

Pandemi COVID-19 menyebabkan perubahan besar dalam pola interaksi manusia dengan hewan peliharaan, termasuk kucing. Selama masa pandemi, pemilik kucing cenderung memberikan perhatian lebih, namun pascapandemi perhatian tersebut menurun sehingga berpotensi meningkatkan resiko penyakit. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis praktik cara pemeliharaan kucing dan hubungannya dengan kejadian penyakit virus pasca COVID-19. Penelitian dilakukan di Klinik Satwagia Bogor pada Agustus–November 2024, menggunakan data rekam medis dan kuesioner terhadap 100 responden pemilik kucing. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa mayoritas pemilik belum memahami pemeliharaan kucing yang baik perilaku melepasliarkan kucing, pemberian pakan berkualitas rendah, rendahnya frekuensi vaksinasi dan pemberian obat cacing, serta kurangnya pemeriksaan medis. umumnya belum melakukan vaksinasi dan pemberian obat cacing pada kucing peliharaannya, namun pemilik sudah melakukan praktik menyediakan pasir kucing. Praktik pemeliharaan yang kurang tepat berkorelasi dengan tingginya kejadian penyakit virus. Edukasi kepada pemilik kucing sangat diperlukan guna menekan angka kejadian penyakit dan meningkatkan kesejahteraan hewan.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought significant changes in human interaction patterns with pets, including cats. During the pandemic, cat owners tended to give more attention to their pets; however, post-pandemic, this attention declined, potentially increasing the risk of disease. This study aims to analyze cat care practices and their relationship with the incidence of viral diseases after the COVID-19 pandemic. The research was conducted at Satwagia Clinic, Bogor, from August to November 2024, using medical records and questionnaires involving 100 cat owners. The results showed that most owners lacked proper understanding of good cat care practices. This was evident from behaviors such as allowing cats to roam freely, providing low-quality food, low vaccination and deworming rates, and insufficient medical check-ups. Most owners had not vaccinated or dewormed their cats, although many had already provided cat litter. Improper care practices were found to be correlated with a higher incidence of viral diseases. Education for cat owners is urgently needed to reduce disease occurrence and improve animal welfare.