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Cats - Cat

Expert: Ali - 11/1/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi, i have a question about my cats behavior. He was rescued as a kitten on the streets and I got him from a shelter. He is an orange tabby cat and he just turned 2. He has extremely bad gingivitis that he got genetically. He is very affectionate and constantly chases me trying to play. However, he does not like to be held. He lets me carry him upstairs at night and he lets me carry him around. If I hold him while sitting he squirms away after a few seconds and runs away, and then shies away if I try to pick him up again, but not if I pet him. Today I held onto him when he squirmed so my dog wouldnt hurt him, and he hissed and growled at me. I held my dog and released him and he raced up into his cat condo out of reach of the dogs. When I came to pet him, he scratched me and hissed. A few hours later he was fine again. Is he ok? hes been to the vet because we thought he had a urinary tract infection, but he doesnt. Why does he not like to be held? He is my only cat and my german shepherd dog beats him up but they are just playing, and he has claws so he can defend himself. Is something wrong with him?

ANSWER: Jeff,

Honestly I think that your cat is fearful of the dog, stray cats and dogs tend to have a love-hate relationship, they love to hate each other. It's quite possible that your dog has caused injuries like bruising that are causing this kitty some degree of discomfort - this wouldn't necessarily be apparent on physical exam because cats have thick fur which makes it difficult to see all the way down to their skin without shaving them (which I don't advise unless absolutely necessary). Unfortunately if the cat is afraid of the dog this is likely compounded by the fact that some dog guardians derive considerable amusement from allowing/encouraging their dog to chase and/or attack stray or indoor/outdoor cats in the area without considering the possibility that their dog could seriously injure a cat if s/he caught the kitty s/he was chasing. Some cats simply don't like being restrained, but it's also possible that a lack of proper early socialization or a bad experience early in this kitty's life play a role in his anxiety over being held or restrained. This kitty certainly sounds like he's not terribly comfortable with the dog and I think it's important to be sensitive to that, otherwise your relationship with the cat and the relationship between the cat and dog will suffer significantly. Since you do have a dog and a cat in the same household it's not a bad idea to provide dog proof escape routes for kitty so he feels safe around the dog. It's safest to keep your dog and cat separate when you aren't able to supervise their interactions to avoid accidental injury to either pet - it doesn't matter that kitty has his claws, dogs are predators and they are fully capable of killing or seriously injuring cats if their prey drive is aroused (often accomplished by a fearful cat running from a dog instinctively trying to get away causing the dog to respond by chasing their prey). It's very important that you NEVER underestimate the power of instincts in your pets, what you see as play between the cat and dog may in fact lead to serious injuries for either pet because in this situation your kitty is the prey and your dog is the predator by nature.

It's quite possible that your kitty's behavior is a result of anxiety - although you were trying to protect your kitty from the dog when you restrained him the cat may have thought that you were attempting to restrain him so the dog could get to him and he might have responded defensively by hissing and scratching you. It really is in everyone's best interests - cat, dog and human caregivers - if you create dog free zones by using baby gates or installing a cat door with a magnetic key that allows your kitty to take time away from the dog where he'll feel safest - behind a closed door. This kitty needs time, patience, understanding and a peaceful place he can go to escape the dog when things get out of hand. The dog needs to be trained not to chase or harass the cat, if the dog pushes things the cat could potentially cause serious injuries to his eyes, face or skin with claws or teeth that are being used by a fearful cat to defend himself. Ideally I wouldn't want to see either pet get hurt, this means that you'll have to work on training the dog to be calm around the cat and not to see that cat as a live interactive toy that he can chase, nip at or harass whenever the urge strikes him.

You may want to seriously consider a consultation with a holistic veterinarian and/or a behaviorist with experience working with cats - a holistic vet trained in the use of homeopathy may be able to provide safe, effective, gentle remedies that would help calm the cat and dog and improve their relationship with each other. Bach flower remedies are homeopathic remedies made from flower essences that I've spent over 10 years using in my home with cats in a variety of situations. In my experience I'd have to say that these remedies would likely be quite useful in helping your kitty with his fears provided that the dog was trained and he had safe places to retreat to. Rescue Remedy would be a good start for your kitty - you can administer 5-7 drops (in an area away from the dog, a quiet, dimly lit room would be perfect) by gently massaging a drop at a time into the cat's ear flap or the relatively fur free area in front of his ears. This will allow the remedy to gently enter the cat's system helping him to be less fearful and anxious, but do be careful not to get any of the remedy into the cat's ears as the flower essences are preserved in a grape alcohol base which will sting if your kitty gets it into his ears. Be patient with this kitty, he'll come around in time if you take the time to train your dog to be more respectful and polite from a cat's standpoint (meaning no more doggy in the cat's face, bounding around, chasing the kitty, etc) and provide him with a safe, quiet, private place to retreat to where the dog can't follow. His anxiety over being held/restrained just might settle down if he's not worried about the dog using him as a chew toy, if not patient work and proper handling away from the dog should help to improve matters. If you have any further questions, concerns or you'd like me to provide you with a general starter program for working with your kitty (dogs aren't my area of expertise, you'd have to contact a dog trainer, a behaviorist or a dog expert for help training the dog out of his predatory behavior with the cat)please feel free to contact me again, I'll be happy to help you out to the best of my ability.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi again,
Thank you for your timely and well-thought out response. I know that you are much more experienced with cats than I am, but I think I should clear up some things between the cat and the dog. My cat (Rusty) and dog (misty) have a very interesting relationship. Misty often chases Rusty around, but she is very gentle with him and he will sometimes jump on her while she is sleeping to get her to chase him. Rusty is also much more clever than Misty, and will turn the tables on her by getting to high ground. Their little spats never end in hissing or blood. In fact, 90% of the time the game ends with Rusty getting tired of being chased and chasing Misty away, and he then gets on a table. If she still goes after him, he bites her paws and scratches her mouth, never enough to draw blood, but enough to scare her away. She never treats Rusty like prey, more like another dog. She treats him like she treats my other dog, without trying to hurt him. My cat is also not intending to harm Misty. I often let him play with my favorite pet rat, Kiedis, and they play together.

Answer
Jeff,

I'm glad to hear that Misty is the exception to the rule when it comes to how she interacts with her feline companions - not all dogs are so well mannered. Sadly there are too many pet parents who don't seem to understand that while cats are naturally armed with claws and teeth this doesn't make them immune to injuries sustained at the hands of an overzealous, "in your face" play session with their dog or a dog that's quite simply predatory by nature. All too often many dogs have nasty relationships with their feline siblings and this means that many cats are truly afraid of their doggy housemates.

Rusty's behavior may have been an isolated incident of him inappropriately communicating frustration or the desire to be left alone or it's possible that he felt confined and threatened when you held him to keep him safe in your dog's presence. Since Rusty has dental issues it's possible that he's having pain in his mouth that's making him short on patience so it's definitely not a bad idea to watch him closely and see what his behavior is like overall over the next while. Keeping a behavior journal that accurately describes his behavior when he acts aggressively towards humans or animals is a good way to keep track of what's happening and may be helpful in identifying patterns of behavior - whenever possible try to describe the circumstances leading up to any incident of aggression as thoroughly as possible as this may also offer insight into his behavior.

The leading cause of death in North American cats is euthanasia secondary to behavioral issues so I'd like to take this opportunity to pass along helpful information that I hope will prevent such a disaster from becoming a reality in your household. Behavioral issues decrease the quality of life and increase stress for both human caregivers and all of the animals within the household, including the kitty with the behavioral issue. Sadly many cats are abused, abandoned, surrendered to shelters or euthanized as a direct result of unacceptable behaviors. According to the American Association of Feline Practitioners most cats surrendered to shelters have been assessed by a veterinarian in the year prior to being relinquished to the shelter. It's crucial to determine whether a behavioral issue is simply normal feline behavior that a pet parent finds unacceptable, an abnormal feline behavior or a negative behavior that has inadvertantly been reinforced by human family members. Sometimes hissing, swatting or scratching can be a part of establishing a social hierarchy (though I doubt this is the case in your situation since I'm assuming that you've had Rusty for some time).

Given the fact that Rusty was a rescued stray it's difficult to know what his early socialization was like and whether or not he was allowed to stay with his mom and siblings for as long as he should have. Kittens that are properly and regularly handled by human beings of different ages, genders, etc between 2-9 weeks of age are less likely to develop fear based behaviors specifically related to improper socialization. The first 12 weeks of a kitten's life are crucial in terms of early socialization with people, pets and different situations. I generally recommend that kittens stay with their mother and siblings for a minimum of 12 weeks if at all possible and many behaviorists are now saying that this is a good practice to help prevent serious behavioral issues later in life. Unlike puppies there are things that kittens absolutely must learn from their mother and/or siblings such as how to interact appropriately with other cats, accurately reading and appropriately responding to feline body language, grooming, self defence, interacting with people in a positive manner. Rusty may have received little/no proper early socialization until his rescue and with kitties who haven't received proper handling, good training, etc they can develop irrational fears in a variety of situations.

The fact that you've contacted me about Rusty scratching and hissing at you leads me to believe that Rusty normally isn't overly hissy or scratchy with his human companions, so with further information about Rusty and Misty's unique relationship I'm a bit puzzled at his behavior. It's possible that he's not feeling well or he's somehow sustained an injury that isn't obvious (he may have done a goofy cat thing and fallen out of his cat tree while sleeping or something equally as silly) but with a clearer picture of what's happening in your case I'm a bit worried that Rusty may be sick or developing a behavioral issue such as play aggression which I would recommend that you monitor very closely because this type of issue can result in cats being euthanized and I'd hate to see that happen. It's a good idea to keep a close eye on how Rusty and Misty interact with each other over the next while as well as watching Rusty's demeanor with you when you handle him as significant changes could be indicators of serious behavioral issues starting to show up in which case I can offer some basic behavioral advice but I do recommend that with any behavioral issue a complete medical evaluation is done just to be certain that any behavioral issues don't have medical roots. Please keep me informed about how Rusty's behavior progresses I'd be happy to offer any assistance you might need in future whether that be offering advice on basic behavioral techniques (aka humane disciplinary techniques and creating a behavioral program of sorts based on my practical experience) or helping you to find an experienced, compassionate holistic vet and/or veterinary behaviorist should things come to that point.

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