A3: Feline Behaviour Flashcards
Most common types of abnormal feline behaviour
•aggression
•urine marking
•destruction
Many owners euthanize over these behaviour problems that can be prevented with training
What 2 things should you do before treating behavioural problem?
1) Rule out medical cause
2) identify the problem and cause
What is the difference between urine marking (spraying) and inappropriate urination?
Spraying is on a vertical surface and is purposeful whereas inappropriate urination or accidents are not on a vertical surface and aren’t necessarily purposeful
For what purpose do cats urine mark and name some examples
It is a territorial instinct to urine mark Examples include: New cat Conflict with housemate Human visitors Unfamiliar odours New/moved objects Frustration/ anxiety Urine marking is most common in intact males
What are some ways to treat urine marking?
Prevention: neutering before behaviour first occurs reduces behaviour by >90% Remove trigger Counter condition Make marking less desirable Remove odours Pheromones
What are the litter box rules?
Location: accessible (no closed doors) Clean: should be done daily, no scents, if you can smell the litter box, it needs to be cleaned # of cats + 1 = # of litter boxes in the household Lots of praise when used by kitten Do not punish!
What is important to know about destructive behaviour
Scratching is a normal behaviour for all cats
Cannot train to stop
Can train to scratch appropriate surfaces
What is considered aggressive behaviour, what is it normally caused by and how can you reduce it?
Biting/ scratching
Often due to fear
Cats like dogs must be socialized
Kitten play can be aggressive
How can you modify a cats behaviour and what doesn’t work?
Best trained with rewards and positive reinforcements
If using punishment should come from the environment
Social reprimands don’t work
