behaviour – Page 4

Stress Awareness Month: Spotting Signs of Stress in Cats

Cats can easily become stressed when there are changes to their environment, so it’s important to identify any triggers that can cause anxiety. Like us, our furry friends have individual personalities and will therefore be affected by different things.

PDSA Vet Nurse Nina Downing said: “Changes to a cat’s surroundings can sometimes have a negative effect on his or her behaviour which can lead to further medical problems if left unmanaged. Luckily, there are lots of tips and tricks to help you to understand why your feline friend might be showing signs of distress.”

What are the signs?

“Often the most notable sign of an unhappy cat is a change to their eating habits – those who usually enjoy their food may show less interest at mealtimes.

“Negative body language such as an arched back, coupled with antisocial tendencies, are also tell-tale signs that your furry friend is struggling. You may notice they are more vocal than usual and that their coat is deteriorating, which can indicate over grooming.

“Urinating outside of their litter tray and spraying, along with more worrying symptoms like passing blood, sickness and weight loss, can mimic other medical conditions, so be sure to consult your vet for a proper diagnosis.”

Changes to their environment

“Significant changes to their environment can be a major cause of stress in cats – this includes any redecorating, renovations or replacing of their belongings. When making any major adjustments, ensure they still have a safe space with separate areas for their food, water, litter tray, and scratching posts – as well as a comfy place to sleep.”

Social changes

“Many cats are territorial and tend to prefer their own company and space. Changes such as the arrival of a new pet or baby can be very stressful – as can any loss, so it’s important to help your cat through these stages. Our feline companions also like routine, so try to stick to a regular feeding schedule and make time to play with them each day.”

How do I stop my cat from getting stressed?

“Ensuring your cat’s main welfare needs are met is the best way to avoid a stressed-out puss. Just like us, keeping them active may also help reduce stress, so make time for games and activities each day.” Check out the PDSA website or the Katzenworld shop for lots of fun toys.

“For furry friends who enjoy time outdoors, consider a cat flap so they can come and go as they please. It’s best to choose a microchip option to stop unwanted cats from entering your home.”

“If you are anticipating something that could be stressful for your cat, consider investing in a pheromone diffuser or natural essential oil diffuser which provides comfort and prevents urine marking and unwanted scratching.” Please do note though that in terms of the essential oil diffuser it is of utmost importance to use a species appropriate product such as Pet Remedy and only in it’s intended way. Cats especially react sensitively to oils and improper use or using the wrong one can be dangerous.

Health & Welfare

Revealed: Naughtiest Cats in UK

* Originally written by Rebecca Owens for ProtectaPet

The fire brigade has been called out to save more than 2,000 cats in London since 2015 – making it the moggy rescue capital of the UK.

Meanwhile, Essex is revealed as the place where felines stick to the straight and narrow most often.

There were 2,061 callouts recorded over the past seven years in London but its neighbouring county had just nine.

Freedom of Information requests have shown the second naughtiest cats live in the West Midlands, with more than 100 fire brigade callouts made.

Birmingham cats were saved 52 times.

Kent and Hertfordshire moggies also ranked highly, with 40 and 39 incidents.

Cardiff, Humberside and Nottingham were mid-league with 36, 32 and 28 callouts respectively.

And Liverpool accounted for 11 callouts.

The most common reasons for rescue were cats being stuck in trees, chimneys and on roofs.

Eve Davies, director at ProtectaPet, which makes fence barriers to keep pets safe, said: “Cats love exploring. Sadly, they can sometimes find themselves in tricky situations.

“We recommend owners ensure their homes and gardens are safe and secure, whether that’s with cat fencing, enclosures or catios – or simply creating a good routine so owners can closely monitor their comings and goings.”

Health & Welfare

Prepare Pets for Your Return to the Workplace

* From my partners at katzenworld.co.uk

With many people returning to the workplace after the latest government updates, this means that we will be spending more time away from home – and less time with our furry friends.

According to PDSA Vet Nurse Nina Downing, this can have a huge impact on our pets. “The pandemic has turned our normal routines upside down, and our pets are affected just as much as we are. According to our PDSA Animal Wellbeing Report 2021, nearly one in five (18%) dogs in the UK acquired since March 2020 have shown signs of distress when left alone. For dogs acquired before March 2020 the figure is 5%. Signs of separation anxiety, or separation-related behavior (SRB) can vary from excessive whining and barking, destroying things, loss of toilet training, trying to escape, depression and inactivity.”

Though we can’t be with our pets 24/7, there are plenty of things we can do to help them get used to being without their owner. Preparation is key, so that they feel comfortable when left alone, as they could have become used to having constant company.

See below for Nina’s top five tips:

Keep them company

“Many of us have responsibilities away from home that we just can’t avoid. Make sure pets aren’t left alone too long by popping home on your lunchbreak or getting a neighbour to check in once or twice a day. If that’s not possible, use professional services like pet sitters and doggy day care.

Create a safe space

“Give your pet a space in the home they can call their own, where they know they will be safe while you’re away. Make this area free from noise, comfortable and relaxing with toys and chew items to help to create a safe haven for them. By doing so, we provide a place to escape anything that might be scary.

Ease into new routines

“Just like we’ve had to get back into the swing of normality again, it really helps our pets if we can ease them into new routines. Use the same word as a cue such as “leaving” and something visual like placing a certain object in the same place so your dog understand this is when they will be left alone. When getting your pets used to being left, leave them alone for short periods of time, gradually increasing the length of time every time after that when they are comfortable. This way, they’ll soon become used to you leaving and coming back and won’t be anxious about not knowing when they are going to be left.

Stimulation

“One of the simplest actions we can take to prevent our pets from getting bored is giving them something to do. Feeder toys, stuffed with pet appropriate paste and then frozen, are excellent for keeping their brains active for long periods of time – and may remove the temptation to destroy household items too!

Set a calming atmosphere

“There are a number of ways you can form a tranquil environment for your pet. We recommend using special items like plug-in diffusers and collars that release natural soothing pheromones or herbal remedies, creating a calming atmosphere while you’re away. Think of this as turning your home into a furry friend spa!”

For more information and tips on helping pets as lockdown eases, visit www.pdsa.org.uk/PreventingSeparationAnxiety

Cat fun

Why do cats chatter their teeth when they spot prey?

Many owners will have heard and seen their cat chattering when they spot prey. Indoor cats do it too even if they have never hunted.
So why do they do this? Is it because they can’t get to the prey?

In fact, this is normal hunting behaviour. Your cat’s instincts are kicking in – even if they have never hunted they still have those instincts. Experts used to believe cats were excited or frustrated when they chatter or that they were mimicking their prey’s sounds. Cats hunt for a large variety of prey, though, and most of them sound nothing like a cat’s chattering.
Most experts now think that the chattering jaw movements are similar to the killing bite. Your cat is eagerly anticipating having a good bite.

Perhaps we can satisfy indoor cats by giving them a toy to chase & catch after the prey has left and give the cat a treat 😉

I think the noise is very funny. I laugh whenever I hear Dirk do it and it’s usually when he sees birds nearby (pigeons seem to love teasing him by sitting on the balcony railing).

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Cat fun

Cats’ personalities: do they become like their owners?

I think most of you are familiar with pictures joking about the physical similarities between owners and their pets. Do pets start to look like their owners or did the owner choose a pet that looks like them?
The more interesting question is whether owners’ and pets’ characters are similar. Research suggests cats and owners strongly influence each other’s behaviour, especially if the cat lives indoor only and if the owner is a woman!

The study also showed that cats remember when they are treated kindly and this directly affects how they react to their owners’ wishes. Cats were more likely to respond to their owner’s request for affection when that person had taken care of their needs in the past.

“A relationship between a cat and a human can involve mutual attraction, personality compatibility, ease of interaction, play, affection and social support,” said co-author Dorothy Gracey of the University of Vienna. “A human and a cat mutually develop complex ritualized interactions that show substantial mutual understanding of each other’s inclinations and preferences.”

While cats have plenty of male admirers, and vice versa, this study and others reveal that women tend to interact with their cats… more than men do.

“In response, the cats approach female owners more frequently, and initiate contact more frequently (such as jumping on laps) than they do with male owners,” co-author Manuela Wedl of the University of Vienna told Discovery News, adding that “female owners have more intense relationships with their cats than do male owners.”

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