Behaviourist Sarah Whitehead looks at how we live with cats and the problems which can arise...

THE PHONE shatters the illusion of a bright and peaceful dawning day. Seven-thirty, and the onslaught has already started! 'Is that the cat psychologist?' I'm asked! `I've been referred by my vet, and I'm at the end of my tether!' A long tale of woe then starts, interjected by stories of other cats which have never behaved in this way. At some point I interrupt, and try to explain the nature of my rather unusual job. Yes, I do specialise in feline behavioural problems, and I do need a veterinary referral for every case I see, but no I am not a magician, and the behavioural therapy itself is based on sound principles and requires substantial amounts of hard work and commitment from the owner!

Such calls are now common in my practice. While even five years ago my workload was heavily biased towards dogs, the balance is now roughly equal, allowing one of my practice members to specialise entirely in feline behavioural problems.

There is little doubt that cats are on the rise! The past few years have seen an increase in keeping cats, while the number of dogs kept as pets has fallen. Perhaps this shift reflects changes in our own lifestyles. The cat is perceived as being far more independent and autonomous than the dog, and as such needs less commitment from an owner in terms of daily care and attention. This would appear to suit those who wish to have all the benefits of keeping a pet, but work nine-to-five or are allergic to exercise! Whether this perception is accurate remains to be seen however, as certainly the number and type of behavioural problems now presented in cats is also on the up and up.

Of course, my main work load still lies in messy problems — cats spraying urine indoors, defecating where they shouldn't and leaving puddles in the middle of the duvet. These problems often cause immeasurable distress to their owners, and yet many put up with them for months, or even years, before seeking help. However, practice figures over the last months have shown a marked increase in reports of more unusual problems in domestic cats. Aggression — both to people and to other cats, sometimes even to other animals in the household, is now all-too-common and is not a laughing matter for those subjected to the experience. Indeed, as those who have ever been faced with an angry or frustrated cat will know, the risks of injury from the average cat's remarkable weaponry are potentially more severe than from the average dog! Self-mutilation and over-grooming are also relatively common, as well as many, many long-haired cats that cannot tolerate handling, grooming or visits to the vet's. Pica — the consumption of inappropriate items such as wool, or, more seriously, electric cables or other dangerous items are also reported, as well as other `weird and wonderful' problems such as obsessive tail chasing, meowing and curtain-shredding! We also have a smattering of the really bizarre — cats which mount their owner's heads in the middle of the night, for example — also keep us on our toes!

There may be a number of reasons why such cases are now more prevalent. An increased awareness that help is available may mean that owners are more likely to seek behavioural help and vets are more likely to refer. Equally, there may be good reasons why behavioural problems themselves are on the increase. Cats regard space and resources at a premium and to find themselves competing for territory and hunting grounds, let alone free access to the cat flap, can be stressful. In many urban areas, the cat population is so high that they are literally living cheek-by-jowl and this can increase the propensity of stress-related problems. Keeping cats permanently indoors is also becoming more common in this country and although such cats can live quite happily given sufficient stimulation and activity, many simply do not have these needs addressed. Cats need to express hunting behaviours particularly and, given no other outlet, the top of their owner's head as it emerges through the front door, or the children's ankles as they scamper up the stairs, will do just fine!

Perhaps the most interesting and exciting areas of research being undertaken at the moment are in the examination of the cat's chemical signalling system and the application of it to the prevention and reduction of behavioural problems. Certainly, we are only scraping the surface of this new method of communicating with our pets, in a way that they can understand. I believe that cats perceive scent signals in the same way that most humans see colour — the range, depth and tone of an odour can highlight, give information or can even be overwhelming in intensity. Such scent signals are communicated through cheek, chin and flank rubbing, as well as scratching, urine and faeces marking, and make up a large part of the cat's world of communication, demanding attention and even an emotional response. Indeed, the very suggestion that cats – or dogs — have emotions at all is just beginning to be acceptable! While pet owners have always known that cats and dogs make decisions, use memory and experience emotional states, the idea of examining how these influence and are influenced by behaviour, neurochemistry, physiology and even diet is relatively new.

The past 10 years of behavioural therapy have seen great changes. The very idea of being seen by a behaviour counsellor would have been laughable only a decade ago, while now it is becoming known as another routine pet health service offered through the veterinary surgery in order to prevent the rehoming, suffering or even destruction of animals which are behaving in unacceptable ways. There is no couch involved in companion animal behaviou r therapy and certainly no crystal ball, but the need for owners to ask themselves pertinent questions about the way in which they live with their animals may prove to offer self-revelation after all!