Research overview: transport, transfer and translocation stress in captive felids

Moving cats between institutions for breeding, rescue or management is a recognised acute stressor with welfare implications. This overview surveys the science of felid transport and transfer: the stress of crating, novel transport environments, noise and motion, and arrival at unfamiliar enclosures and social settings; the use of crate-training and habituation to reduce loading stress; sedation considerations and their risks; and post-transfer monitoring of behaviour and stress hormones during the adaptation period. It examines how careful planning, familiar items, gradual introductions and protected acclimatisation mitigate the impact, and how transfer stress can affect health and breeding. It discusses the welfare governance of animal movements. The synthesis frames transport as a manageable but significant welfare event requiring preparation, monitoring and recovery time.