Overstressed Cats
This article caught my eye in one of the vet journals on feline medicine I was reading as it related to many of the behaviourally challenged cats we are seeing. It comes from FAB the Feline Advisory Bureau a collection of experts all dedicated to the well being and welfare of the cat. It also ends with a topic close to our hearts learn to speak cat!!
Over-attentive owners are a top cause of feline stress, according to the Feline Advisory Bureau’s (FAB) feline behaviour expert panel. The behaviour experts are warning the owners of the UK’s estimated nine million cats that their pets could be suffering from stress which can result in behaviour problems.
According to the FAB’s feline behaviour expert panel, who regularly tackle the nation’s growing number of unhappy cats, some of the top stressors for cats include:
feeling exposed because of lots of other cats in the garden or looking in through glass doors;
having over-protective, over-attentive or inconsistent owners;
living with another cat or cats which are unfriendly;
living in an environment where they get bored, don’t have good feline facilities, or where there are no escape opportunities (from people, other cats or dogs).
These are just a few of the stressors which have been identified by feline behaviourists. This stress can be exhibited as a number of behaviour problems, such as spraying or soiling in the house. Stressed-out felines can also turn into attention-seeking pests or may retreat into their shells.
Vicky Halls, FAB panel member and author of several cat books, said: “Cats are by nature solitary creatures and cannot be expected to provide emotional support for lonely owners.
“If we understood basic cat needs, problems such as indoor spraying or soiling, nervousness and aggression would not occur nearly so frequently.
“Cats are highly adaptable and have lived alongside us very successfully. However, there is no doubt that most of the problems we see are caused by the environment into which we place our pet cats, and sometimes the expectations we have of them,” she said.