Feline Behavioural
Problems
THE Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors recently published its latest findings in their Annual Review 2004 (supported by Intervet). OUR CATS has taken some extracts from this review, appertaining to the cats seen with behavioural problems.
Introduction
For the 2004 Annual Review of Cases, a representative sample of members of the APBC submitted data for 748 canine and 185 feline cases which presented a total of 1,772 problems. The cases were categorised according to gender, species and the percentage of individuals neutered. This information can be seen in Table 1.
Table 1. Cases categorised by gender and species
|
Male Dogs |
Female Dogs |
Male Cats |
Female Cats |
| Total |
446 |
302 |
108 |
77 |
| % Neutered |
63.7 |
71.5 |
100 |
99 |
The average number of problems per dog - 1.98
The average number of problems per cat - 1.54
The first APBC Annual Review was produced in 1994, at that time the average number of problems per dog was 1.55 and the number of problems per cat was 1.4. A comparison with the above data suggests that the average dog or cat is referred for an increased number of problems. This could be due to a higher incidence of client reporting.
| Most Common Breed to be Referred |
|
| Dogs |
Cats |
| 1. Mongrel |
1. Domestic Shorthair |
| 2. Border Collie |
2. Persian |
| 3. Labrador |
3. Burmese |
| 4. GSD |
4. Siamese |
| 5. Cocker Spaniel |
5. Bengal |
| 6. West Highland White Terrier |
6. Birman |
| 8. Staffordshire Bull Terrier |
|
| 9. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel |
|
| 10. Yorkshire Terrier |
|
Analysis of feline behaviour problems
Figure 2: Breakdown of feline problems reported. Key: IM = Indoor marking; HT = House training problems; AC = Aggression towards cats; AP = Aggression towards people; M = Miscellaneous (including attention seeking and self mutilation); FP = Fears and phobias; MD = Medical disorders and BP = Bonding problems.
As can be seen from Figure 2, 117 (42%) of the problems treated related to house soiling which was almost evenly divided between indoor marking, such as spraying and middening, and house training problems. Indoor marking was presented in 60 cats, of which 43 were male and 17 female and all were neutered.
51 problems (19%) related to aggression towards other cats of which 46 (90.2%) was directed to cats within the home, which is as to be expected as most owners are tolerant of aggression to cats outside the household.
Environment obtained from
Of the 185 feline cases sampled for this report, 44.3% (82 cases) were obtained from breeders who reared the cat within the home environment. 41.1% (76 cases) were cats obtained from a rescue environment. 6.5% of cats (12 cases) were obtained as a stray and 4.9% (9 cases) were obtained from breeders that were rearing the cat in a cattery or similar outbuilding. The remaining 3.2% (6 cases) were obtained from either a kitten farm or a pet shop.
Incidence of feline aggression
Of the 185 cats sampled for this study, 31% were referred for problems associated with aggression. 12% had exhibited aggression towards people and 19% towards cats. Graphs 7 and 8 show the breakdown of these into more specific diagnoses as provided by the APBC members.
Graph 7 Aggression towards people
Key to graph: AF - Aggression due to frustration directed to owner; RP - Redirected predatory; FSI - Fear of strangers outside the home; FF - Fear of family members; BH - Biting during handling; LA - Learned aggression.
Graph 8 Aggression towards cats
Key to graph: T - Territorial; F - Due to frustration redirected onto another cat and SA - Social aggression between cats resident in the same household.
Incidence of cat bites
As has been the case in previous years, the majority of feline cases were referred for problems associated with house soiling in the form of inappropriate toileting and marking more often than for aggression. 33.3% of the cases that were referred for aggression towards people were attributed to biting the owner during handling. This behaviour is generally associated with a lack of appropriate social experience. 80% of these cases were presented in cats that had been obtained from a rescue centre. The data is too low to be valid for any further analysis.
Summary of Review
The most common type of cat referred to a member of the APBC was a Domestic Shorthair (“moggy”). Persians and Burmese cats were the most common pedigree breeds.
57% of dog problems and 31% of cat problems treated related to aggression. 42% of cat problems treated related to house soiling and indoor marking.
12% of the cats referred for problems associated with aggression had directed the aggression towards people. 19% had exhibted aggression towards other cats, particularly other cats that were resident in the same household.
To access copies of the APBC Annual Review from 1994 to 2003 visit
http://www.apbc.org.uk/data.htm
* The APBC is an international network of experienced and qualified pet behaviour counsellors, who, on referral from veterinary surgeons, treat behaviour problems in dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, horses and other pets. It takes time to establish the cause and develop treatment plans that are suitable for the owner’s circumstances, and APBC members are able to offer the time and expertise necessary to achieve these objectives. The APBC also runs seminars and workshops, both for its members and others interested in the field of pet behaviour therapy and dog training, and also sells books, videos and other products related to the subject.
