Cat Behaviour
Following on the letter "B" (behaviour) which mainly covered dogs, I decided to write something about cat behaviour but by way of introduction I am sticking with "B" and the subject of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA).
During the 20th Century the vital role of agriculture and improvements in food production meant that veterinary services for large animals were pre-eminent. As some of the major disease issues (tuberculosis etc.) have now been controlled and cheaper foods are now imported the "heart beat" of the veterinary profession has moved to the companion animal. The BSAVA holds its main conference in April every year and it is the major meeting place for vets where we have the opportunity to attend four day's worth of lectures, specialist seminars and interactive case studies.
I thought it would be worthwhile to give you a flavour of this year's (2003) event because it is a good reflection of current veterinary thinking and areas of interest.
A huge range of subjects were covered from traditional orthopaedics and oncology, radiography, and renal disease to animal welfare and behavioural subjects. Animal welfare lectures included topics like the dangerous dogs legislation, electronic training devices and interpersonal violence and companion animals.
All the wonderful lectures and new techniques described by the scientists at the BSAVA conference show us what can be done, often brought forward from human medicine. In human medicine there is often a struggle to control the costs and there are difficulties in meeting demands for specialist drugs and surgical equipment. Now we as vets and you as owners must decide what expensive treatment is appropriate and how it is to be afforded for our pets.
At the King's Bush Farm the vets are lucky because Woodgreen gives priority to resources that are spent on the animals. However, it is still up to the vet to decide what is clinically appropriate. If we see a young dog with hip dysplasia - should we be performing hip replacement surgery (a common procedure now in human medicine)? So far we have rehomed two dogs that have had one of their hips replaced by a specialist centre. Where would Woodgreen find the resources to train and equip a facility to perform that type of surgery? Even the implants themselves cost hundreds of pounds.
The behaviour series of lectures at BSAVA included a session entitled "The ageing dog - a behavioural perspective". Geriatric care (dogs and cats are definitely living longer) is possibly one of the greatest areas of debate for the veterinary industry at the moment. The need to decide what is appropriate and how to balance costs with appropriate clinical care is paramount. Personally I am fast coming to the conclusion that no one answer fits all. A retired couple with an elderly animal that needs constant care for the last few months of its life may give a quality of care that is appropriate for a terminally ill animal. There are other situations where it is not possible to provide the right environment for the last few months of an animal's life in which case euthanasia has to be viewed as an option.
The BSAVA lecture that really caught my imagination and leads me onto the subject of cat behaviour was actually in the virology section and was entitled "Idiopathic cystitis in cats".
This may sound too technical for Animals Matter but it is worth pursuing. There are a lot of "idiopathic" diseases that science has yet to provide an adequate reason for why the problem occurs and where it comes from. Cystitis is a sore bladder. The professor lecturing was actually a clinical nutritionist from Ohio in the USA and his explanation of idiopathic cystitis and its treatment covered a lot of cat behaviour.
We are all aware that cats are very different to dogs. Indeed "cat" people are very different to "dog" people! As a family we always had both and they all lived a harmonious existence (although the cats were generally in charge!).
I am not sure one ever "owns" a cat. Dogs equal devotion, cats equal couldn't care less - unless the cat is feeling affectionate. This translates from evolution where dogs were pack hunters but cats were solitary animals. The behavioural language of hunting is similar for men and dogs. That may explain why an affinity between humans and dogs developed early in our evolutionary history.
The cat is such a solitary hunter and a true carnivore that could not survive, in the "wild", on a meat free diet (although I know there are vegetarian diets now available for domestic cats). It also means that in order to catch prey, a cat has to be able to change from "teddy bear" to "terminator" in a split second. Pack animals have specific periods of sleep, drowsiness and activity. The worst time for me to get up and see an emergency is about 4.30am. The reason for this is my "diurnal rhythm" (the hormone levels rise and fall throughout a 24 hour period). Cats have not got a diurnal rhythm. They are just as active at night (possibly more so) than during the day.
The solitary nature of the cat's hunting habits and lack of a "pack" wake and rest daily cycle means they do not adapt well to a closed and regulated environment. Clearly the majority of cats have a contented life as pets but we need to understand them so as to avoid potential stress.
From the cat's point of view it needs a territory that it alone patrols to provide it with its food and at 30 calories per mouse that is ten mice a day!
Cats potentially find sharing litter trays and food bowls very stressful. Cats like to toilet in private so products such as covered litter trays can be very helpful particularly in multiple cat households. Cats also need somewhere to sharpen their claws as these are their knives and forks! So equipment and appropriate "scratch posts" can save a lot of wear and tear on your sofa or favourite furniture.
The cat's reliance on catching prey means it has evolved a "neophilic" nature. This means that it likes new tastes. The desire to catch and eat a different sort of prey has high survival value. How many clients say that their cat loved the new food but then gradually went off it? The trouble is the moment an owner sees a partially eaten plate of food they open a different flavoured can. The cat will automatically eat the new flavour. I often suggest that rather than leaving food down all day, while you are out hide 3 or 4 cat biscuits in various and different locations throughout the house. This gives the cat a sense of territory and an activity.
It is very challenging to see inside the mind of a cat. They do not react like pack animals yet they often live in close proximity with humans and dogs. Socially they are not concerned by "dominance" but by territory. The environment is of prime importance not their social interactions. This is a great challenge for owners, vets and behaviourists to understand and use the knowledge in ways that give cats a contented life.