Hi, I’m Rosie. I have a degree in psychology and zoology and a post-graduate diploma in companion animal behaviour counselling. I just adore working with animals, and am here to answer your questions...
My two cats can’t sleep in my room at night because of my allergies, but they wake me every morning at 4am meowing and pawing at the door. The sleep deprivation is taking its toll!
Cats are crepuscular which means they are most active at dawn and dusk when their prey is awake. Make sure you’re not reinforcing the waking behaviour and it will extinguish, but I appreciate it might be difficult to ignore! If it’s food they’re after, I’d contemplate investing in a timed-feeder that provides food at 4am and then you can gradually move the time to a more reasonable hour.
I would also recommend, if you don’t already, getting your cats to work for their food during the day in the form of activity feeders. Get them to search for their food by hiding small amounts in different locations around the home. Make sure you play interactively with each individual cat during the day, particularly in the evenings, and that they have warm, comfortable sleeping places during the night. Good luck!
I have a 21-year-old female puss, Caramel. The vet says she’s healthy, but she just doesn’t play any more. Is it age related? How can I give her the mental stimulation she needs?
Wow, what an amazing age! I would recommend looking into three different types of play for your cat.
- Activity feeders that she has to manipulate with her paws or mouth in order to get her food. It can be as simple as dry food being placed in an empty egg box. There are lots of activity feeders on the market with adjustable difficulty levels — start off super easy and gradually increase the difficulty only when your cat is repeatedly successful.
- Independent toys that are left around for her to discover for herself.
- Interactive toys that you manipulate to get Caramel interested — even if she just enjoys watching the movement, this will provide stimulation for her. Make sure you move the toy around, mimicking the movement of a prey animal. At her age, don’t expect her to be moving quickly, just keep to eye movement and a little paw batting.
I have a one-year-old Siamese tabby mix. At three months old she began urinating in her food and sometimes in her water. How can I discourage this?
Your first port of call should be your vet for a urine test to check for a medical reason for this behaviour. If there isn’t one, request a referral to a qualified behaviourist.
In the meantime, ensure you have a couple of litter trays in different locations and away from food and water. Separate her food and water stations, and plug in a Feliway Classic diffuser to help your cat feel safe and secure in her core territory.
My bull terrier chases his tail a lot. Is this normal?
It is a common abnormal repetitive behaviour in bull terriers and I would recommend asking your vet to refer you to a veterinary or clinical animal behaviourist (see abtcouncil.org.uk). They will look at the different factors that may be contributing and can provide you with a comprehensive behaviour modification programme to help reduce the tail chasing.
In the meantime, if you’re able to interrupt the behaviour, then do so in a manner that your dog does not find unpleasant or inadvertently reinforcing. For example, do something away from your dog that naturally causes them to come and investigate — you can then redirect them into a more appropriate activity.
Ensure you are providing sufficient mental and physical stimulation for your dog, including activities that reduce arousal such as sniffing, chewing and licking. Stuffed Kongs and Lickimats are great for this. Try to avoid exposure to any triggers that appear to induce the behaviour.