Understanding your pets’ natural behaviours is key to keeping them happy – even when you’re not around. No matter how much you love your pets, you can’t always be there to care for them 24/7. But even when you’re not around, there’s plenty you can do to keep them active and happy. Under current animal welfare legislation, pet owners have a legal duty to protect their animals from pain and suffering and to give them a suitable diet and environment. In addition, pets must be allowed to ‘exhibit normal behaviour patterns’ – crucial for ensuring their mental and physical wellbeing. So how can you help them satisfy their natural instincts?
The right stimulation
Cats are born hunters, but sometimes for their own safety they need to be kept indoors. Keep yours entertained by giving it toys to chase – a tin-foil ball will do – and providing a climbing tower or cardboard box with holes cut out for it to climb in and out of. Also try hiding part of your cat’s daily dry food allowance in different places for it to track down. And make sure you provide a scratching post to keep its claws healthy – a coir doormat securely fixed in an upright position is perfect. For more tips on feline behaviour, check out the cat care leaflets on the Cats Protection website, cats.org.uk.
If you have to leave your dog for extended periods, Dogs Trust recommends providing it with a selection of challenging chews and toys. Interactive toys that can be filled with part of your dog’s daily food ration, which it has to work hard to reach, are particularly good for encouraging your dog’s natural scavenging and problem-solving instincts. Also try giving it toys it can roll around the floor, or create a scent-trail game by hiding dry treats for it to sniff out. For more ways to keep your dog occupied, download the ‘Beating Boredom’ leaflet at dogstrust.org.uk.
Finally, make sure your pets have hygienic toileting facilities and check to remove hazards that won’t leave you making a claim on your pet insurance. The advice from Cats Protection is that anything you would keep out of the reach of children should be kept away from pets too.
Dealing with separation
‘Cats are not pack animals, so separation anxiety is not normally such an issue as it is with dogs,’ says Companion Animal Behaviour Counsellor Pippa Hutchison, of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors.
With dogs, the key to avoiding problems is to prepare them gradually. ‘Over a period of time, get them used to being on their own – in the next room to you, for example,’ she says. Play down the transition with fuss-free goodbyes and returns, and consider leaving your dog with a familiar-smelling old T-shirt and the radio or TV on in the background for comfort.
Before you leave, make sure your dog has had a good run around and a small meal, so it will feel ready to settle down.
If your cat or dog is having problems adjusting to being on its own, it may need professional help. Try the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors (apbc.org.uk) – although it’s best to consult your vet first: ‘We insist on owners seeing their vet first, to rule out any clinical illnesses,’ says Pippa.
For more about behavioural problems and beating boredom, visit cats.org.uk and dogstrust.org.uk.
Away from home
‘Do an overnight trial several weeks before you actually go away,’ says Pippa Hutchison, ‘so their first experience won’t be too long or stressful.’ She also recommends that you take an old, unwashed T-shirt that smells familiar to them.
Make sure the cattery/kennel has a list of your pet’s particular likes and dislikes. Take along their regular food, so there isn’t a change in diet.
Look out for the warning signs
Dogs
• Destructive behaviour, such as excessive chewing.
• Doesn’t eat when you’re away.
• Signs that it has been drooling a lot.
• Complaints from the neighbours that it has been howling.
Cats
• Toileting outside the litter tray.
• Signs of self-mutilation, such as over-grooming, which can lead to bald patches.
• Becoming more withdrawn.
(Originally published on Money Matters Thu, 15 Jul 2010)
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