Feline Veterinary Behaviour Counselling...

Cats are very complex and sensitive creatures who generally dislike change, discomfort, boredom, excessive noise, an innappropriate or dirty litter box, etc. The things that upset cats can change their behaviour, often to the dismay of their human families. Clients regularly call us seeking help for problems such as:

• Inappropriate elimination or Housesoiling (urinating or defecating outside of the litter box)
• Inter-cat aggression (aggression between housemates)
• Aggressive behaviour towards people
• Redirected Aggression - seemingly unprovoked attacks toward you or other cats in the household.
  
• Introduction of a new baby to the family
• Scratching furniture, drapes, etc.
• Excessive night-time activity
• Excessive vocalization ie yowling or meowing (day or night-time possible)
• "Play" Aggression
  

For housesoiling problems (urine and bowel movements)...

It is important to remember that physical reasons for the behaviour may be part or all of the cause and may need to be addressed at the same time, especially with urinary issues. When you call to set up the appointment, we will assess whether the signs are:

Predominantly Physical:

• signs of discomfort:  such as licking the penis, squatting frequently, unproductive straining, vocalizing while urinating, urinating small amounts
• urinating a larger amount of urine than is normal (more than 2 to 3 normal "urine balls" per day)
• urine smells or looks funny ie blood, pink colour, cystalline.
  
• soiling only stool, especially if small, hard nuggets (common in older cats)
• or soft/unformed stools, possibly with blood.
  

Or, Predominantly Behavioural:

• urinates outside the box in "normal"-sized amounts
• "sprays" vertical objects
• or soils a combination of urine and stool.  

If the problem is predominantly physical, we will book in a routine physical examination.  If it turns out there is a behavioural component, me may need to reschedule a time to discuss that in more detail.

If the problem is predominantly behavioural:  We usually set up the appointment as a behaviour consultation which is a 1 hour appointment. 

• We will do a physical examination and decide if testing of blood or urine is warranted.
• We will get a comprehensive history on the behaviour and litterbox habits
• And we will come up with an initial plan right at that visit so you can go home and start making changes. 
  
• Modifications may be made to the treatment plan if tests are done and come back showing a physical problem.
• We will do a followup call with staff and/or a recheck consultation with the Veterinarian, Dr. Rosenberg, to assess progress.

For All Other Behaviour Problems...

If we have not recently examined your cat, we recommend your cat accompanies you, otherwise your cat does not need to be present.  Often it is less stressful to not have your cat sit with you for an hour, if not needed. 
If we have never seen your cat (a new cat for you or you are a new client or second opinion exam) and you are reluctant to bring him/her, we can start with a behavioural consultation, but we may end up deciding there is a physical problem which will need to be addressed. 

During the consultation, our Veterinarian will ask many seemingly wide-ranging questions in order to determine exactly what is going on, and suggestions are made as to how to proceed, with concrete plans before you leave the clinic.

Consultations are followed up with phone calls from the clinic staff to determine what progress is being made and recheck consultations with Veterinarian, Dr. Rosenberg, may also be needed.

Blood and urine tests may be needed and can always be set up at a different time so you don't need to bring your cat to the first consultation, unless we feel an underlying physical problem is likely, such as hyperthyroidism, allergies, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.  If we decide anti-anxiety medication is warranted, blood and urine testing will also likely be needed, but this can be pursued after the behavioural consultation.  

For Aggression-related problems, it is ideal if you can write down in detail (and bring to the appointment) 3 "incidents" that occurred that represent the problem, including:

• what was going on when it started, especially if anything seemed to "trigger" it
  
• describe the event in as much detail as you remember
• describe what you did and how your cat responded to that
• describe how your cat seemed afterwards and if it took some time for him/her to be back to normal
  

Punishment and Rewards

In general, direct physical punishment is ineffective and inappropriate with cats as it causes fear of the owner and will not stop the behaviour. As mentioned before, cats become upset by loud noises, for example, so shouting at the cat is not recommended. Keep in mind, too, that the cat's behaviour does not mean it is trying to punish its owner or "send him/her a message".  Cats are not devious creatures and don't "hold grudges" like our human counterparts.  There is usually a much simpler explanation. 

Rewards for training purposes, on the other hand, are very important and useful in encouraging appropriate behaviour.

In Conclusion

Most cats learn to adjust to owners' lifestyles readily, with few behavioural problems. If you feel you have problems that you cannot resolve, please feel free to approach our staff and arrange a Veterinary behavioural consultation.  We have a great interest in behavioural counselling and enjoy bettering the relationship between our clients and their cats
                                                                             Dr. Sharon Rosenberg