Feline expert Dr Sarah Heath says misinterpreting pet behaviours can lead to stress
BRITAIN’S foremost feline behavioural expert, Dr Sarah Heath says misinterpreting normal pet behaviours can lead to anxiety, stress and behavioural problems.
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VIDEOS of cats jumping, falling and running at breakneck speed provide endless hours of enjoyment for us but in many cases they are not acting crazy — they are just acting like cats.
Cats can run more than 40km/h so they need an outlet for this huge amount of energy which can lead them to bounce of furniture and burst into a sprint across the living room.
The solution is not to grab the video camera but to provide for their behavioural needs through appropriate play.
Britain’s foremost feline behavioural expert, Dr Sarah Heath, who is in Sydney this month for the Small Animal Behavioural Medicine Conference, says misinterpreting behaviours that are normal for our pets can lead to anxiety, stress and behavioural problems.
Dogs, cats and rabbits are the animals most commonly treated for behavioural problems because their lifestyle as pets involves close involvement with their human owners.
“Cats and rabbits have natural behavioural patterns that are very different from those of human animals and a failure to appreciate this can lead to considerable stress for these animals when they are kept as pets,” Dr Heath says.
“Dogs are often considered to be very similar to humans in terms of their social behaviour but there are some important differences between the species in terms of communication.”
While we cuddle and kiss our dogs to demonstrate love, Dr Heath says in the canine world huddling and licking faces is associated with anxiety and a need to gain information.
“The dog interprets this as a sign the humans are anxious and looking for answers from their dog.”
This can make our dogs anxious as can attempts to make them mini-humans.
Dr Heath says dressing animals in human clothes and treating them as “Mini Me’s” can be harmful because the clothing can restrict their ability to exhibit normal behaviours and the handling involved with dressing pets up can also be stressful.
Laying a rabbit onto its back and interpreting its reaction as one of relaxation is another example of this sort of miscommunication.
Trancing involves a state of inhibition rather than relaxation and the act of putting a rabbit onto its back should therefore not be used as a form of affection interaction.
Dr Heath said that when dealing with cats the important thing to remember is that they are solitary survivors and being in control is therefore a fundamental behavioural need.
When people are keen to demonstrate their affection for their cat it is tempting to actively initiate contact by picking cats up and holding them in a tight embrace.
From a feline perspective this restricting physical contact can lead to a sense of losing control which can be frightening.
CAT EVENTUALLY ALLOWS HER OWNER TO GIVE HER A KISS
Allowing the cat to be the initiator of interaction has been scientifically shown to result in them spending more time in the company of their owners and is a good example of how seeing things from the cat’s perspective can significantly improve the relationship between owners and their pets as well as the welfare of the pets themselves.
Dr Heath, who is the author of a number of books including Why Is My Cat Doing That?,
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