Cat Behavior Flashcards
Unlike dogs
- Different social structure
- Commensalism vs dominance/subordination
- Different motivation (dogs have drive to fit in)
Commensalism
an association between two organisms in which one benefits and the other derives neither benefit nor harm.
Anthropomorphism
- Attribution to human characteristics to non-human object
- Careful with this (some examples/theories may not be accurate) -> don’t interpret everything in human’s POV
- Ex)
Owner survey
- On 900 dog owners
- Q: does ur dog show different emotions?
-> 65% said dog show jealousy, 40% say dog show guilt
Do dogs feel guilt?
- May have to realize they did wrong after doing it and then have a reaction
Research Model
- Dog was told/commanded a task (don’t eat treat)
- Left alone with treat
- Owner came back without seeing treat disappeared or not
- Asked owner if dog ate ir or not
- Couldn’t tell
What happened? -> careful when interpreting
Social Hierarchy
- Wild cats mostly avoid e.o -> live apart tgt, daily patterns to maintain spacing
- Little evidence of social ranking in domestic cats (may be most dominant or aggressive)
- Feral cats Amy form a group around a common food source
Reasons for Difference
- Differences in ancestry; animals
- Domestication of cats different from other animals -> religious connection, rodent control, harder to control mating, fewer purebreds today, less selection for behavior traits.
Normal Behavior: Play
- Play: 4-16wk, individually and with other kittens, improves (coordination, social interaction)
- Mother trains to hunt at 3 weeks
Kittens’ Attachment
- Daily handling for 40 min per day for weeks 2-7
- Increased attachment behaviors later in life
Normal Behavior: Predation
- differ from hunger
- well-fed cats still hunt
- will stop eating if live prey is introduced
Normal Behavior: Eliminative
- talked about spraying
- urinate to mark territory
- often burry feces
Normal Behavior: Scratching
- leaves scent
- sharpens claws
- strengthens muscles
Is rubbing/rolling normal for cats?
Yes
Normal behavioral communication
vocal
Purring
- Can be a sign of calm/anxiety
- not breathing related necessary
Normal Behavior: Postural
Hair, ears tail, back
Normal Behavior: Agression
Many forms:
- inter-male, fear-induced, pain/induced, territorial, etc…
–> Can have nicest cat and if in pain, careful cuz ASAP be/c very aggressive
Abnormal Behaviors: Pica
- Chewing/eating non-nutritional items
–> plant eating, wool sucking - human OCD meds somehow works with treating this behavior
Abnormal Behaviors: Redirected aggression
Can be toward another cat/humans
- Solution: remove original stressor
“Stress release”
Abnormal Behaviors: Petting induced aggression
- May be over-stimulated
- may just be a sign that cat had enough
Top 4 Reported Behavior Problems
- House soiling
- Pet-to-pet problems
- Aggression to humans
- Destructive behavior
- At least 28% of cats surrendered to shelters are due to behavior problems
Considerations with Behavioral Problems
- is it an owner problem (ex: normal cat behavior that wonder doesn’t like?)
- Common reasons for cat behavioral problems
General Treatment Options
- Client education
- Environmental modification
- Behavioral modification
- Drug therapy
Reinforcement vs Punishment
Positive reinforcement: often works well
- Treats, petting, … to reward desired behaviors
Punishment
- vocal “no”
- Squirting water often works
- Removal of petting, treats, … (maybe?)
Careful with punishment
- may be // with caretaker
- response may be hard to predict
Timing = VERY important
Specifics: Not using litter box
– Check health of cat
– Check litter box
- added pets
- diet changes
Cleaning accident areas
- clean well
- eliminate odors
- don’t use ammonia-based cleaners
- can put food bowl in that area
Dealing with scratching
- get scratching post
- cover material (double side tape, aluminum foil)
- declaw (?)
Deal with aggression
- remove stimuli
- see general treatment options
(RM: client edu, environmental modify, behavioral monification, drug therapy)
Positive reinforcement
often works well
- treats, pets, …
Punishment
- “No”
- squirt water
- remove treats, pets
Careful with this: unpredictable response
Timing is important with
punishments and reinforcements
boredom
- need to spend time with cat
- many toys available
- many cats (?)
- feeding toys
Other unexplained cat behaviors
- earthquake sensing
- death sensing
- homing ability (travel up to 1500 miles to return home)
