OVC Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare Lab

06/01/2026

How do you feel about outdoor access for cats?

If you recently acquired an adult cat please participate in our research study:
https://uoguelph.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bCrLhlCJFIVBvqC

**Please Share**

**New Study Alert!** If you acquired a new cat in the past year please consider participating.

If you are interesting in participating please either use the QR code below or the following link:

https://uoguelph.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bCrLhlCJFIVBvqC

05/20/2026

Postdoctoral fellow Carol Tinga was honoured to present "Keeping rabbits in homes, off the streets, and out of shelters" at Humane Canada's Summit for Animals 2026 in Whistler, B.C. She was also thrilled to visit The Bunny Cafe, with its wonderful, adoptable rabbits, and meet with Sorelle Saidman, Founder and Executive Director of the Rabbitats Rescue Society.

03/27/2026

We are still recruiting for our study on new cat caregivers. Please share!

**New Study Alert!** If you acquired a new cat in the past year please consider participating.

If you are interesting in participating please either use the QR code below or the following link:

https://uoguelph.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bCrLhlCJFIVBvqC

03/09/2026

**New Study Alert!** If you acquired a new cat in the past year please consider participating.

If you are interesting in participating please either use the QR code below or the following link:

https://uoguelph.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bCrLhlCJFIVBvqC

03/09/2026

THANK-YOU for your interest in our new study. As usual, our dog-loving community has come through for canine science again!

We have PAUSED our study's sign-up for the moment, as the response has been so excellent. We hope to continue recruiting new participants in the coming weeks, so please stay tuned!

01/09/2026

Here is a link to the first paper from Carol Tinga's rabbit-themed thesis! More papers coming... stay tuned!

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, news reports indicated increased numbers of stray rabbits and surrender requests at shelters and rabbit rescues. This study examined the impacts of the COVID-19 and Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2 (RHDV2) pandemics on rabbit intake, care, and management...

12/01/2025

Anticipating and losing a companion animal can be very hard, and we may need support for ourselves and our families. The OVC Pet Trust has launched the new Pet Loss Support Resource Centre for just this reason. Please see the link below to access the free resources:

Always Near Me: Navigating Pet Loss This six-part video series created by OVC Pet Trust at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), University of Guelph shares the heartfelt stories of people navigating the grief of losing a beloved companion animal. Made possible through The Banjo Fund, established i...

11/18/2025

🐰 Rabbit people! Nat Powdrill-Wells and colleagues asked people in East Anglia, England, about owning rabbits and rabbit housing. 🐰 Where did you first learn about rabbits? 🐰 What do you think about the rabbit housing you can buy in your country? Did you buy it, or DIY it? 🐰

10/21/2025

Rabbits living in successful pairs/groups are believed to experience better welfare, but research into how to successfully pair companion rabbits is rare. To start closing this gap, Loek ten Broeke and colleagues at Ghent University present results from a pilot study at a rabbit shelter about initial rabbit-rabbit introductions.

The pet rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), known for its social nature, often experiences suboptimal living conditions when kept in solitary housing, as it fails to meet its social needs. In this study, the social dynamics during the introduction of companion rabbits are investigated focusing on opposi...