Problem cat behaviour
Hubble and Bubble, toil and trouble
Cats behaving badly?
I’ve lived with fur gods a long time, worked with them a long time and they can be just as tricky as other animals such as dogs in terms of behaviour. This post was in response to a clients’ call for help that reminded me of my own cat, when he became irritable with us at home, including the dogs, whom he lived peacefully with. He would not range far from home, he would pant excessively, he developed acne and would bully the kitten next door much to our embarrassment. Turned out, he was stressed from some local children throwing stones at him while outside…so we moved house* and he immediately regained confidence!
You may be wondering why you should do anything about problem cat behaviour, after all, they are just a cat, right? I mean they can't fatally injure people like dogs or horses or other large pet could...so why should you do something about a behaviour problem for your cat?
Here's the thing. If you cat is experiencing stress, anxiety or trauma and is suffering behaviourally as a result, then ethically speaking you should seek professional advice. Emotional problems are hazardous to the long term health and well-being of any sentient creature, including cats.
Here is one example of an illness potentially caused by stress (click here to access the link).
Living with any animal can be fraught with unforeseen technicalities and undesired issues; they speak a different language, don't share our moral or ethical boundaries and not even the same eating, sleeping, mating or washing habits! Cats for the most part are relatively easy as far as owning a pet is concerned (or should that be being owned by a fur god!), yet it's not always especially if there are more than one in the household. And they often get overlooked being mistakenly considered independent. Cats actually bond closely with their humans (Vitale et al, 2019).
Not all in the mind
Just as us humans can get stress related illnesses, which can have knock on effects not just physiologically but psychologically also, so too can cats and other animals including horses. So it is only fair and morally right to seek assistance from a professional if your cat has a behaviour issue. A medical rule out, where your vet checks if there are underlying health issues regarding your cat first, help to define if the behaviour is caused by or exacerbated by a health problem. Then your behaviour professional can help you achieve balance in the home again by giving you a behaviour modification plan and support to achieve it. Cats can quickly suffer with anorexia when they experience stress, it’s quite alarming but sudden weight loss should always be medically ruled out first.
For instance, my own cat Lego, bless him, began losing weight although he seemed his normal self. We sought vet advice, turns out he had developed hyperthyroidism which is common in cats his age (he was 13 at the time). He had treatment, gained weight job done. But had he had a clean bill of health, then I would have needed to figure out what stressors where causing him to not eat and support him behaviourally through this.
I wonder what Mr Mittens is thinking…
What behaviour problems can cats have, Katie?
One of the most common cat behaviour problems I am asked to help with is litter box problems, multi cat homes, aggression towards their care givers and dog-cat relationships. I’m in a unique position to have had cats, small furries dogs and boarding dogs co-exist for years, plus children so I consider myself personally as well as professionally experienced with multi pets households!
Did you know cats can also suffer with pica (ingestion of non foods)? Or with aggression towards humans, other cats and species? I worked with a Bengal once, who although stunning, would go into another cat’s home and fight with the resident cat!
Have a look at this infographic and see if you can spot these signals in your own fur god.
Cat’s can also have problems relating to food and water, sleep locations and other space manipulation and block access to other resources like humans. It can be really subtle too, such as lying across a doorway. My own cat. Lego would sit in doorways, and Tallulah would come find me so i could help her past him. I wasn’t as educated in cat behaviour as I am now and this seemed a logical solution at the time.
My cat has a behaviour problem, Katie. What should I do?
Seek vet advice first, then hire a suitably qualified and experienced professional. Your vet might be able to recommend one to you and there are some excellent behaviourists who work solely with cats if this is your preference.
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Reference
Vitale, K., Behnke, A. and Udell, M., 2019. Attachment bonds between domestic cats and humans. Current Biology, [online] 29(18), pp.R864-R865. Available at: <https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(19)31086-3> [Accessed 24 July 2020].
*we moved house because we were stressed there too, loved the house not so much the neighbourhood!