FEAR IN CATS : FEAR OF PEOPLE, OTHER ANIMALS AND PLACES

My cat seems to be afraid of people and or other animals - why might that be?

There are many reasons why cats develop fears. There may have been limited exposure to people and other animals when the cat was young. Socialization is an important aspect of raising a kitten and without adequate, continuous and positive interactions with people and other animals, cats may be fearful in their interactions with them later in life. Since the socialization period in cats begins and ends earlier than it does in dogs, the early environment of the kitten is most important. Cats can learn through the effect of even just one unpleasant experience that was intense or traumatic ("one shock conditioning"). This learning may then generalize to similar situations. For example, a bad experience with a small child could result in a cat that is fearful of all small children. Sometimes a number of unpleasant events "paired" or associated with a person or animal can lead to increasing fear. For example, if a pet is punished by a particular person or experiences some disturbing event in the presence of another animal, it may begin to pair the stimulus (the person or other animal) with the unpleasant consequence. Genetic factors are important in the tendency to develop excessive fearfulness. There are some cats that are inherently timid and fearful and these individuals may never become outgoing and highly sociable no matter how hard we try!

Can I prevent fears from developing?

Early, frequent and pleasant encounters with people of all ages and types can help prevent later fears. A kitten should be chosen which appears non-fearful and sociable. Assessing and observing the kitten's parents will give some insight into the personality that a kitten may develop when it grows up and it is particularly important to consider the temperament of the father, since it is known that there is a strong paternal influence over the boldness component of a kitten's personality.

What are the signs of fear?

The behavior patterns displayed by a cat who is frightened can be both active and passive. A cat may show signs of agitation or aggression, such as dilated pupils, arched back, piloerection (hair standing on end) and hissing, and in these cases it is relatively easy to identify that the cat is in distress. In contrast, frightened cats may also hide, try to appear smaller, place their ears back and become immobile and if an individual adopts this second strategy it may be easier for their distress to be overlooked.

What information do I need to identify and treat my fearful pet?

A behavioral consultation is needed for cats that are showing extreme fears and/or aggression. If the fears are mild, then owner intervention may help to prevent them from progressing. Firstly you need to identify the fear inducing stimulus. This is not always easy and it is important that you pin point the exact stimulus which is causing the behavioral response. You want to know which people or animals the cat is afraid of and where the fearful behavior occurs? Often there are certain situations, people and places, that provoke the behavior more than others.

For treatment to be most successful, it is important to be able to place the fear inducing stimuli along a gradient from low to high. Identify those situations, people, places and animals that are least likely as well as most likely to cause the fear.

In addition to identifying the fear inducing stimulus it is important to also examine the factors which might be reinforcing the behavior Some owners reward the fearful behavior by reassuring their pets with vocal intonations or body contact. Aggressive displays are a successful way of getting the fear inducing stimulus to leave and the retreat or disappearance of the stimulus also serves to reinforce the behavior Any ongoing interactions that provoke fear, such as teasing behavior, painful interactions, and punishment, need to be identified and removed.

What happens after I have identified the stimuli?

Cats have a very highly developed flight response and when faced with a threatening situation their overwhelming instinct is to get away. It is therefore important for you to be able to control your cat and prevent it from "running away" before there has been a chance for it to discover that the stimulus is not in fact a threat. This can be accomplished with a figure of eight harness and lead, or if necessary an indoor pen.

The first stage of dealing with feline fears is to teach your cat to make an association between non-fearful situations and food rewards. The aim of this training is to encourage relaxed behavior, which can subsequently be associated with the fear inducing stimulus by a process of counter conditioning.

For very mild fears, cats may settle down with constant exposure to the fearful situation, provided there are no consequences that aggravate the fear. For example, cats kept in an indoor pen for a few days in a boarding facility will often get used to the situation and settle down, provided there are no events that add to the fear.

For most feline fears and certainly those that involve a fear response of any magnitude a program of counter-conditioning and desensitization will be the most successful way to acclimatize the cat to the stimuli that cause the fearful response. It is vital to do this slowly. Start by exposing the cat to very low levels of the stimulus that do not evoke fear. Reward the cat for sitting quietly and calmly. Save all rewards for these retraining sessions so that the cat is highly motivated to get the reward. The cat soon learns to expect rewards when placed in the indoor pen or restrained on the harness and exposed to the stimulus. Gradually the stimulus intensity is increased. If the cat becomes afraid during training you should stop and take time to acclimatize your cat to the previous intensity level before proceeding. Set the cat up to succeed. Over time, the stimulus can be presented at closer distance, or in a louder or more animated manner. The situation may then need to be changed to advance the training. For example, if your cat is fearful of a particular person, once the person can sit beside the indoor pen while your cat eats, the person could then attempt to feed the cat favored treats through the bars of the pen. Next, the cat might eat and take rewards while out of the pen but wearing a lead and harness, although the cat may still feel the need to retreat to an increased distance after the encounter. Over time the person can move closer at feeding times until he or she can give the cat its food. Cats that are fearful of other cats might be fed in two different indoor pens in the same room. Once the cats will eat with the pens next to each other during feeding times, you could begin to keep one cat in the pen during feeding with the other one out, and alternate at future meal times. Finally, both cats could be fed at a distance while out of the pens with one or both on harnesses and then progress to having the cats side-by-side at feedings. The introductions can then advance to play sessions, catnip and treat times, and other times when the cats could "enjoy" themselves in each other's company.

My cat still encounters the fearful stimulus when we are not in a training exercise. What should I do then?

Each time the cat experiences the fearful stimulus and reacts with fear, the behavior is reinforced. Try and avoid the fear-producing stimulus, if possible. This may mean confining the cat when children visit, or the house is full of strangers. Drug therapy can be useful to reduce fears and anxieties during times when the stimulus cannot be avoided and you should consult your veterinary surgeon. On occasion, they may also be required during the retraining program This will have to be decided by your vet or a veterinary behaviorist.

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