Behavioural Advice
Unsure of What’s Going on Inside Your Cat’s Head? A Cat’s Behaviour can be Complex with Various Underlying Causes
Medical vs Behavioural
Many cat behaviours stem from underlying medical reasons. Cats are very stoic creatures and tend not to show obvious signs of being unwell.
In nature that tends to leave them vulnerable. Instead their ‘symptoms’ are often displayed by means of ‘missing’ the litterbox (urinating/defecating elsewhere entirely), vomiting frequently and becoming aggressive or cranky. For the pet owner this can often be misconstrued as a behavioural issue.
A true behavioural issue can only be determined when all essential medical testing has been performed and the results come back with no abnormal findings. It is then, that we can assume the behaviour is stemming from an environmental reason – something in the household that is upsetting and stressing your cat out.
My Vet is So Expensive!
Veterinary diagnostics are the only way to rule out medical problems. A vet cannot look at or merely examine a cat and determine whether it is is medical or behavioural. The testing must be done.
If your cat is acting out of the ordinary, it is very important to see your vet and have a urinalysis and bloodwork done to rule out and health issues. Behaviours resulting from medical problems can only be corrected with the proper medical treatment(s). Any other efforts that you try to resolve such behaviours will fail and will be a waste of your time, money and patience, not to mention your cat’s health may be neglected.
I’m at My Wits End!
So your cat has just peed on your sofa again, or kept you up howling at night, or bullied your other cat once again.
Something has just made your frustration level rocket sky high. This is often when people break down and ask for help. Unfortunately it is also often the breaking point for pet owners and advice is not well received. It is in everyone’s best interest to refrain from asking for advice at that time and pause for a day or two to recoup. Then send your request.
I’ve Tried Everything!
Cats are far more complicated than most people give credit for, but understanding the way a cat thinks or reacts is the goal to resolving behavioural issues.
There are often multiple possible solutions for any given problem, however each cat responds differently to them. Sometimes what works well for many other cats, won’t work for yours and you have to try multiple options until you find one that works. There is no single, magic answer. Often we have to think outside the box – no pun intended for those pee-ers! We can’t force a cat to do what we want, we have to work with what a cat does and mold that into what works for our household.
Behavioural Form
Whatever the issue may be, please take the time to fill out the form as detailed as possible using timelines as much as you can. The more information you can provide, the better we can imagine the situation and the more likely we will be able to help.