Feline Behavior

Industry

American Association of Feline Practitioners

•Accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)

http://www.abvp.com/categories_feline.htm

Industry

http://www.avbt.net/index.shtml

Industry

http://www.svbt.org/

Statistics

Dogs 78.2 Million owned

60% own one dog29% own two dogs

$248/year

Cats 86.4 Millionowned

33% own one cat52% own two cats

$219/year

The Humane Society of the United States. (2011). U.S. Pet Ownership Statistics. Retrieved March 8, 2012 from http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/pet_overpopulation/facts/pet_ownership_statistics.html

Feline Development• Similar to dogs, kittens are born with __________

and ___________closed.– _________ open as early as 5 days, but no

______________________________ until ~ 2 weeks of age.

– _________ open ~ 7-10 days old.• Vision develops slowly and is fully developed at ______

months.• First 2 weeks of life = _____________ via

forelimbs– Also require queen’s stimulation to ___________ and __________________.

Feline Socialization• MOST important between ______ weeks of age.– As little as 15 minutes per day = _________________

• Friendly ____________ = more likely to be friendly kittens! – ____________ personality is not as well documented.– If _____________ is fearful of humans, kittens will

learn this behavior.• Kittens learn play behavior as early as ____________.

Kitten Play Behavior• Begins as pawing at siblings ~___________ of age• Social play increases ~______________ and

includes more __________ and __________.– __________ play also develops and includes pouncing

on, or swatting at objects.*** It is _________________________ to encourage

kittens to play with or attack bare hands or other parts of your body!

• Kittens begin to learn to hunt and kill prey around __________________ when queen brings live prey back to nest. – By _____________ kittens can kill and eat mice.

Feline Personality Types

Personality of the feline is formed from a combination of ____________ and ______________.

Understanding Feline PersonalitySiamese & Oriental breeds

Persian & long hair breeds

Understanding Feline Personality

Feline Personality Types• __________-__________

• _______-_________

• ________-____________

Why do human’s have cats?

Feline Hierarchy

Dominance Sharing

Communication

Tail Talk

Friendly Tails

Fearful Tails

Submissive Tail

Aggressive/Scared Tail

Tail Movements

I’m Mad/Aggre

ssive

I’m Scared

Body Posture

Facial Expressions

ANY intense emotion such as excitement, fear, anger, pleasure, or agitation, can cause the pupils to dilate. (Kalstone, 2008)

Facial Expressions

Aggression

Will you please help me?

Behavioral ProblemsCase Study

Inappropriate eliminationInappropriate elimination

Notice tail shake

Behavior ProblemsCase Study

Inappropriate scratchingInappropriate scratching

Behavior ProblemsCase Study

AggressionAggression

Additional Feline Issues

• Reading in your CTVT book is VERY helpful!– Introducing new cat – pp 157-158– Destructive behavior – pp 158-159– Inter-cat aggression – pg 159-160– Human aggression – 160-161