Behaviours, postures, and activities are the primary ways in which the animals communicate. In case a previously calm pet gets fearful, aggressive, bites people and other animals, urinates or defecates outside the litter box, and responds with great sensitivity to other animals and people, the owner gets confused. The pet animal behaviour problem does not necessarily mean that there are training issues involved. There could be a number of reasons like fear, stress, health, environment, past experience, and others affecting the behaviour. Finding out the cause of the problem is an essential step to take.
Behaviours Can Be Used as a Way of Communicating
The animal is unable to communicate how it feels when it feels distressed, scared, or nervous, hence using behaviours to communicate the same. Hissing, growling, hiding, being aggressive, excessive barking, and withdrawal is used to show that something is bothering the animal.
Root-Cause Approach at Kindheart Veterinary Behaviour Services
The approach taken by this service is to look for the cause of a problem and not just try to solve the unwanted behaviour. The analysis is based on the background, environment, health condition, and possible triggers of the animal.
Possible Causes for Problematic Behaviour
There are numerous things that impact the behaviour of animals. Some of these include feelings of discomfort or pain, anxiety, fear, environmental changes, poor socialization at the early stages and stress.
Cats, for instance, develop stress owing to different reasons including relocation, the addition of a new pet in the family and interaction with strangers. According to us, cats mostly show anxiety through withdrawal, increased sleeping or displacement activities.
Cat Aggression—How to Know It
Aggressive behavior of a cat is observed when a cat is hissing, growling, scratching, jumping at a target or biting. But aggressive behaviour has many reasons for this. They include territory invasion, redirected aggression, fear, stress, pain, and lack of proper socialization.
Safety zones, elimination of stimuli, enrichment of the environment and gradual exposure will all assist in maintaining the mental health of a cat. Punishment will only exacerbate fear and worsen the situation.
When a Behaviour Specialist Can Help
If there are chronic or serious behaviour issues that are affecting the whole family unit, a veterinary behaviour specialist evaluates the pet from a medical and behavioural standpoint. Kindheart Veterinary Behaviour Services states that veterinary behaviour includes aspects of psychology, learning, environmental evaluation, training and medical evaluation.
Where appropriate, medication is another aspect of treatment that a vet behaviour specialist considers. It is not about stopping a certain behaviour but understanding why the pet exhibits that behaviour.
Steps Involved In Developing A More Positive Association With Your Pets
Training your pets will require you to be patient, committed and consistent through the assistance of the experts. In many instances, the pet owners need to adjust their schedule and understand what causes the undesired behaviour in their pets. We aim to foster the connection between the pets and their owners by increasing understanding about the pets. After proper analysis and provision of personalized recommendations, the problematic behaviour will give way to increased harmony in your home. Are you searching for a cat behaviour specialist in Victoria BC? Kindheart Veterinary Behaviour Services will give you information on why your feline is behaving in such a manner.
