Vicky Halls VN, Member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors
Talk given at the FAB Annual Conference 2007

Over-attachment

We all love our cats but it is possible to take that love to a level that is not in the best interests of the owner or the animal. The definition of over-attachment is: “having an emotional bond with a pet that is so intense that it is detrimental to the physical or psychological wellbeing of either the human or the animal”

There are a number of behaviour problems recognised in cats that are associated with over-attachment, including:

• Attention-seeking behaviour (e.g. destructive, vocalization, urine spraying)
• Periuria (inappropriate urination)
• Inappropriate defecation
• OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
• Learned helplessness

All the cases seen in one year, relating to problem behaviour in cats that was directly associated with over-attachment, were analysed further to establish whether there were any common characteristics in the owners.

Characteristics of over-attached owner [V Halls (2000)]

• The owners were almost exclusively women 
• The owners lived alone or with a partner or companion with whom they spent little time
• The owners had been or were on Prozac or similar psychotropic drug or had been treated for a psychological problem. A large percentage of them had experienced a bereavement or divorce
• The owners were anthropomorphic about their cats referring to them as if human
• They didn’t go on holiday or visit friends or family overnight because they were reluctant to leave their cat
• The cats were kept exclusively indoors or allowed restricted access to outdoors under supervision for reasons of ‘safety’
• Many of the owners referred to themselves as being perfectionists, eager to please and desperate to do the right thing
• Their lives often revolved around the daily requirements of their cat

Treatment for over-attachment

The treatment for owners developing over-attachment is beyond the scope of a pet behaviour counsellor but there is treatment recommended to resolve the stress experienced by the cat as a result of the bonding issue. Owners are recommended to gradually withdraw from the intense nature of the relationship whilst increasing environmental enrichment and stimulation for the cat outside the relationship.

Co-dependency

A co-dependency differs from an over-attachment, as it requires both parties (i.e. owner and cat) to experience a greater than normal attachment to each other. The definition of a co-dependency is: “An emotional bond between cat and owner that is addictive in nature, causing withdrawal symptoms in either party when separated.”

There are a number of outcomes and potential problems associated with an owner/cat co-dependency:

For the owner:

• General withdrawal from human social contact
• Anxiety/panic disorders/depression associated with worrying
• Pathological grieving

For the cat:

• ‘Separation anxiety’
• ‘Learned helplessness’
• Stress associated with maintaining dysfunctional relationship

Characteristics of co-dependent personality type in humans

• Anxiety, depression
• Social isolation, unable to sustain relationships
• Perfectionist
• Low self-esteem
• Unable to trust own feelings, drawn to ‘victims’, confuses love with pity
• Unable to take criticism, lack of culpability
• Needs drama, over-reacts, anger at injustices
• Controlling, resents authority
• Compulsive liar
• Sense of responsibility for others, caring for others at personal expense, constantly worrying, thinking

There are elements of the co-dependent personality common to both humans and cats:

• Anxiety
• Lack of confidence
• Highly reactive, sensitive
• ‘Clingy’

Cats with these characteristics bond closely to particular individuals and they are often considered, erroneously, to be highly sociable.

Treatment for co-dependency

Treatment recommended to resolve the stress experienced by the cat as a result of co-dependency can be extremely successful and follows similar guidelines suggested for an over-attachment. However the owner has to accept that the intense ‘love’ associated with the relationship is not in the best interest of human or cat. Pet behaviour counsellors have to be careful not to alienate the client, as compliance with the Behaviour Modification Programme is essential for its success.

Pet Behaviour Counsellors will:

• Avoid validation or judgement on the nature of the relationship
• Show empathy to ensure owner compliance with BMP
• Look at strategies to follow that improve the physical and/or emotional well-being of the cat
• Show each element of the therapy programme as a positive life-enhancing change
• Accept the role of cat behaviour counsellor and NOT human psychiatrist/psychologist

Animal Hoarders

An extreme example of a bonding disorder is seen in those who hoard or collect animals. The definition of an animal hoarder is: “Someone who accumulates a large number of animals; fails to provide minimal standards of nutrition, sanitation and veterinary care; and fails to act on the deteriorating condition of the animals (including disease, starvation and even death) or the environment (severely overcrowded and unsanitary conditions), or the negative impact of the collection on their own health and well-being”. [Patronek (1999)’]

Consequences of animal hoarding

• Inter-cat and stress-related problems associated with social over-crowding
• Disease associated with over-crowding/poor nutrition
• Congenital and hereditary disease associated with inter-breeding (cats often remain un-neutered)
• Environmental health issue
• Social isolation for the human (often as a result of animal hoarding)

US Studies:
(Very few statistics are available regarding animal hoarding in the UK.)

[Worth & Beck (1988)]

• 65% women
• 70% unmarried
• The majority of the women studied hoarded cats
• [Patronek (1999)]
• 76% female (>60yrs = 46%)
• Most were single, half lived alone
• 65% of all those studied, men and women, hoarded cats

Characteristics of Animal Hoarders

• Hoarders of inanimate objects also
• Anthropomorphic
• Perceived themselves as rescuers
• Intense love of animals
• “No-one else cares better”
• Non-functional utilities (plumbing, heat, electricity)
• Childhood characterised by chaotic, inconsistent, unstable parenting
• Belief that they possess special abilities to communicate with animals
• Recidivists

Explanatory models for Animal Hoarding:

• Delusional disorder (Lockwood, 1994)
• Impulse control disorder (Lockwood, 1994)
• Dementia model (Patronek, 1999)
• Zoophilia (Lockwood, 1999)
• OCD (Lockwood, 1999)

Treatments for Animal Hoarders

No research has addressed this problem; adjudication rarely resolves it.

Under-attachment

Under-attachment is rarely a problem. Most cats do not suffer from lack of attention from their owners and often flourish in an atmosphere of cohabitation rather than intense focus. However under-attachment is often seen as a serious problem for those owners who have specific expectations of the owner/cat relationship.

The definition of under-attachment is: “A relationship between an owner and cat where the level of interaction initiated by the cat (and the response to interaction initiated by the owner) dissatisfies the owner emotionally, either qualitatively or quantitatively”

Possible results of under-attachment (cat)

• Aggression towards owner
• Stress-related illness

Possible results of under-attachment (owner)

• Increased attempts to solicit positive response, thereby increasing the problem
• Frustration
• Breakdown of owner/cat relationship

Characteristics of an under-attached cat

• Poor early socialization
• Self-reliant
• Independent
• No genetic predisposition for sociability
• “cupboard love”

Treatment for under-attachment

The pet behaviour counsellor will explain strategies to allow the owner to “love in a different way”, for example, play therapy, changes in body language and reduced initiation of social contact.