by Rina Van Eeden | May 4, 2021 | Animal Behaviour, Cats
The thought of tired whiskers may sound silly, but whisker fatigue can be a huge problem for your cat.
Most pet owners see their cat’s whiskers as simply a part of the body. Much like hair!
How Do Whiskers Work?
However, your cat’s whiskers are much more complex. Whiskers, which are called vibrissa, are coarse touch receptors that go far deeper under the skin. They eventually connect with the nervous system. Movement and touch affect the whiskers and send signals to their brain and sensory system. They act like antennas that constantly collect important information about your cat’s environment.
So, what is whisker fatigue? In basic terms, whisker fatigue is simply over-stimulation of the sensory system of the whiskers. When the whiskers are touched too much, even just the basic brushing against food and water bowls, your cat’s brain gets an overload of sensory information. This overwhelming stimulation can make your cat feel stressed. Some of the most common symptoms include refusal to eat or drink from their usual bowls, pacing in front of food bowls and meowing incessantly, pawing at food and water and acting more aggressive around food or treats.
Thankfully, correcting problems associated with whisker fatigue is quite simple. Manufacturers have started producing food bowls that are designed to be whisker-friendly. These dishes have a wider opening and are more shallow than regular food dishes, so your cat’s whiskers do not brush against the sides of the bowl. If you cannot find whisker-friendly pet dishes, feeding your cat in a shallow dish with low sides. These could be plates or saucers, will have the same effect.
In most cases, simple adjustments to how you feed your cat and the dish you use to do so will get rid of any symptoms of whisker fatigue and allow your cat to eat and drink happily.
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by Rina Van Eeden | May 15, 2020 | Animal Behaviour, Cats
Almost all cat owners consider litter boxes to be essential. Very few of us, these days, think it’s safe for our cats to go outdoors to eliminate, in order not to have a litter box in the house. And as soon as something goes wrong, like the cat urinating or defecating outside the box, we tend to blame the cat…but usually, it’s because the poor cat is finding the litter box to be a problem. How can we make the litter box NOT a problem for our cats, so they’ll use it happily?
First of all, the great folks at the Cornell Feline Health Center have studied cats’ litter preferences for years. They’ve found that most cats prefer unscented litter. Cats also prefer clumping litter, and they prefer the finest texture possible (sand-like). If you are using scented, coarse-textured, or other types of litter, try putting unscented, clumping, fine-textured litter in one of your boxes, and see how your cat(s) like it.
Second, we know that cats don’t always want to share boxes. The Cornell researchers recommend that you have at least one more litter box than you have cats (three cats? Four litter boxes!). From a cat’s point of view, boxes that are in the same room might as well be the same box; if you put all four boxes in the basement, the three cats feel like they’re all sharing one box. Spread those boxes around the house! Cats like some privacy, but they also like easy access to the bathroom (just like we do!).
Third, most of us don’t recognize the role that stress plays in our cats. Often, cats that are eliminating outside the box are experiencing stress. Cats can be stressed by living with other cats (our living spaces are smaller than cats prefer for their home ranges), by the presence of dogs or toddlers, by seeing other cats through the window, by their early life experiences before you adopted them, and especially by a genetic predisposition to higher stress levels (brain biochemistry differences). If you are experiencing urine or stools outside the litter box, please talk to your cat’s doctor for help! Most cats can be helped significantly!
Resources: Dr. Nina Beyer
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by Rina Van Eeden | May 15, 2020 | Animal Behaviour, Cats, Dogs
Behaviour in the Vet Waiting Room
Working in veterinary medicine, this is where we see many dog to dog mishaps. This is simply due to a lack of knowledge about dog behaviour and a lack of respect for both their own dog and the other dog’s space.
Here’s a scenario that happens quite regularly in a vet practice.
An owner has their dog in the waiting area on a loose leash. This dog is free to roam at least 3 – 4 metres.
Another dog and its owner attempt to enter the room, or area, only to be blocked and greeted nose to nose by the uncontrolled dog, which is now tense on his leash, pulling, eager to meet a new friend.
It’s owner, who eventually speaks up, simply says, “It’s okay, I’ve got him, he’s friendly!”
This is where any person who works at the vet clinic will step in and ask the owner to keep the dog close to them, only to be met with, “he’s fine, he’s wagging his tail!”
Little do they know that something much more complex is unfolding right before their eyes.
Education and knowledge is power,
especially when you are dealing with an animal that you are supposed to guide and mentor through its entire life.
It is our responsibility to ensure stability, confidence and to reinforce respect.
So, here are some things to remember for your next visit to your vet.
Never allow your dog to greet another dog head on, or nose to nose, on a tense leash.
To a dog, being greeted head on is generally considered very rude, intrusive and unnatural. This can create conflict right from the get-go. Any dog can interpret this posture as threatening and begin defensive, aggressive behaviour. To make matters worse, a tense leash can build energy in the dog due to space constraints.
If you must introduce dogs on a leash, it is better to keep the leash loose and allow them to greet side by side, keeping the situation relaxed.
Never assume that a wagging tail is an indication of a happy dog!
A tail wag indicates a multitude of emotions, that’s why it is extremely important to know you’re your dog is saying by its tail wag. Tail position and speed will indicate how a dog is feeling. A low, fast wag is generally indicative of nervous energy, or insecurity, which has the potential to cause an aggressive response due to fear. A high, stiff wag can indicate over-stimulation, or the intent of being ready to spring into action. A dog will make lousy choices in this state of mind, making them harder to control should they “rev-up” even more. A tail positioned in a natural position accompanied by a soft and loose wag is generally universally considered to indicate a happy dog.
Get to know your wags!
Never assume any other dog is just as friendly as yours.
Not all dogs are dog friendly. This should be common knowledge. Just because your dog is friendly, does not mean the other dog is as well.
They could be under-socialised, have insecurities or just be dog aggressive.
Give other dogs their space, please!
It is never a good idea to allow your dog to interact with other dogs in a vet waiting room.
Dogs and cats very often come to the vet already stressed. For cats we have put certain measures in place to alleviate some of their stress, like pheromone spray. You can also request to sit in a quiet room if we have one available.
The smell of other ill dogs, or even death, is in the air, which makes a dog uneasy. Most owners are often nervous for their dog during a vet visit, so that nervous energy does little to help the situation.
The smell of cat may be hanging in the room, urine markings from other dogs or stress pheromones aiding in the negative experience.
Dogs come in not feeling well, they may be painful due to arthritis or injury. Some may be recovering from surgery or coming in to be put down due to old age or chronic illness. Some may even be there because they started a fight with another dog!
Now, tell us why this sounds like a good place to play.
We all go to the vet with our pets, so let’s be respectful and make our next visit a pleasant experience for everyone!
For more information on etiquette in the veterinary waiting room, please check out this website – https://endlesspaws.net/blog/veterinary-waiting-room-etiquette/
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