Cat Behavior

Question 1

Differences with Dog

Answer 1

Very different social structure (in general don’t have much social structure)

Commensalism vs. dominance/subordination:
* Commensalism: one benefits while other is neither helped nor harmed

Differences in motivation:
* Dogs can be trained by wanting to be in a social structure
* Cats don’t have this, look for other things in training for cats like food

Question 2

Anthropomorphism

Answer 2

Attribution of human characteristics to non-human object (our interpretation, projecting it onto cat or dog)
* Must be careful of this

Question 3

Dog and Owner Research

Answer 3

• OWNER SURVEY
• About 900 dog owners, asked if their dog showed different emotions
• About 65% said their dog exhibited jealousy
• Over 40% said their dog exhibited guilt

Question 4

Research Model with Guilt in Dogs

Answer 4

1. Dog was told/shown not to eat a treat off the table
2. Dog was left alone with the treat
3. Owner came back in (but table could not be seen)
4. Owner was asked to determine if dog ate treat or not
   * Could not tell

What happened?
* Must be careful of interpretation
* If owner gets mad, dog is responding to the anger - which is a learned behavior. Has nothing to do with eating the treat or not

Question 5

Cat Social Hierarchy

Answer 5

Wild cats mostly avoid each other
* “Living apart together”
* Daily patterns to maintain spacing

Little evidence of social ranking in domestic cats (may be a most dominant or most aggressive cat)

Feral cats may form a group around a common food source

Question 6

Reasons for Social Differences

Answer 6

Differences in ancestral animals

Domestication of cats different from other animals:
* Religious animal/connection
* More difficult to control mating of cats (vs. dogs)
* Fewer purebreds today
* So, less selection for behavioral traits

Question 7

Normal Play

Answer 7

About weeks 4-16
Individually and with other kittens

Improves:
* Coordination
* Social interaction

Mother will start training to hunt ~ 3 weeks of age

Question 8

Normal Predation

Answer 8

• Different from hunger (has nothing to do with feeding your cat)
• Well-fed cats still hunt
• Will stop eating food if live prey is introduced

Question 9

Normal Eliminative Behavior

Answer 9

• spraying
• urinate to mark territory
• usually bury feces

Question 10

Normal Scratching

Answer 10

• Leaves scent
• Sharpens claws
• Strengthens muscles

Question 11

Normal Vocal

Answer 11

Calling
Mating cry
Growl

Question 12

Purring

Answer 12

Can be sign of calm or anxiety

Question 13

Many forms of aggression

Answer 13

Inter-male (males may fight)
Fear-induced

Pain-induced:
* If in pain or in fear of something

Territorial

Question 14

Kittens and Attachment

Answer 14

• Daily handling for 40 mins + each day
• Weeks 2-7
• Increased attachment behaviors later in life for those who had been handled as kittens (were calmer and more attached to humans)

Question 15

Pica

Abnormal Behavior

Answer 15

Chewing/eating non-nutritional items
* Plant eating (considered abnormal)
* Wool sucking
* Siamese cats known for this

Question 16

Redirected aggression

Abnormal Behavior

Answer 16

“Stress release” - something else has stressed cat, and you happen to be the one walking by - will attack you

Can be toward another cat or toward humans
* Solution often to remove original stressor

Question 17

Petting induced aggression

Abnormal behavior

Answer 17

• Cat may be over-stimulated (?)
• May just be a sign that the cat has had enough

Question 18

Top 4 Reported Behavior Problems

Answer 18

1. House soiling
2. Pet-to-pet problems
3. Aggression to humans
4. Destructive behavior

At least 28% of cats surrendered to shelters are due to behavior problems

Question 19

Considerations with Behavioral Problems

Answer 19

Is it an owner problem (i.e., a normal cat behavior that the owner just doesn’t like?)

Common reasons for cat behavioral problems:
* Stress/frustration/boredom
* Improper socialization
* Genetic problem
* Medical problem

Question 20

Behavior Treatment Options

Answer 20

Client education
Environmental modification
Behavioral modification
Drug therapy

Question 21

Reinforcement vs. Punishment

Answer 21

Positive reinforcement - often works well
* Treats, petting, etc. to reward desired behaviors

Punishment (should be very short term)
* Vocal “no” - stops them. Then shift them on to a positive behavior
* Squirting with water often works
* Removal of petting, treats, etc, (maybe?)

Need to be careful with punishment
* May be associated with caretaker
* Response may be difficult to predict

Question 22

Timing and Training

Answer 22

• Timing is very important when training
• Timing should be specific to behavior, otherwise will train them in something else

Question 23

Not Using Litter Box

Answer 23

Check health of cat - (ex. Painful urination can be associated w/ litter box)

Check litter box:
* Location
* Size and number
* Presence of stressors
* Cleanliness
* Residual odors
* Type of litter

Other changes:
* added pets
* diet changes

Question 24

Cleaning “accident areas”

Answer 24

• Clean well
• Eliminate odors - if it smells like litter box, they will keep going there
• Do not ammonia-based cleaners bc there is ammonia in cat urine
• Can put food bowl in that area

Question 25

How to deal with Scratching

Answer 25

Get a scratching post (or 3!)
* Try to match consistency of what they are scratching
* Find one they like

Cover material - to keep cat off of something bc they don’t like the feeling
* Double-sided tape
* Aluminum foil

De-claw? Controversial, (last-resort)