Season's Greetings

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Christmas time pets
Photo: gurinaleksandr / Shutterstock

Season's Greetings from Companion Animal Psychology Blog!
We wish you Happy Holidays and all the best for a wonderful 2015.

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The Five Pillars of a Healthy Environment for Cats

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How to set your house up for your cat. Do you provide these five things that your cat needs?



Every morning at about the same time, my tortoiseshell cat Melina jumps on the bed with a chirrup and comes up to sniff my nose and ask to be petted. She purrs while I pet her on the head in the places where cats like to be petted, and a very short time later my alarm goes off and it’s time to get up. This sweet morning interaction is part of her daily routine.

Cats are wonderful pets, but people don’t always understand them well. If we provide a cat with the things they need in their environment, it helps them to be happier and healthier. This applies not just to the physical environment, but also to social interactions with us and any other animals in their space. If these things are not provided, the cat may become stressed and show signs of behaviour problems.

The five pillars of a healthy feline environment are described by the International Society of Feline Medicine and the American Ass…
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Does It Matter What Age You Neuter Your Kitten?

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New research investigates whether age of neutering affects feline behaviour – and looks at punishment and other variables too.


There are so many cats without homes that some shelters neuter kittens early, at 8 – 12 weeks old, so they are neutered prior to adoption. This is the only way they can guarantee that a kitten will be neutered. These days, the early neutering of kittens from 6 - 14 weeks old is supported by organizations such as the American Association of Feline Practitioners (many vets set a weight limit of at least 1kg).

In the past, cats were normally neutered at 6 – 8 months old. But even kittens can have kittens, so this does not prevent unwanted litters. It comes as a surprise to many people that even a 4-month old kitten can have kittens.

Kittens, like puppies, have a sensitive period that is an important socialization opportunity; if not properly socialized during this time, they will be more fearful as adults. Therefore some people worry that early neutering could ca…
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Don't Punish Your Dog for Peeing in the House

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Why punishment is the wrong approach for house training mistakes, and how you should house train your dog or puppy instead.



Suppose your dog suddenly starts to pee in the house. You clean it up the first time but it happens again…. And then again.

Or your new puppy keeps having accidents indoors even though you take her outside often.

In this situation, some people will yell at their dog. Some might even try physical punishment like hitting the dog or an alpha roll. And we’ve all come across the advice that you should rub their nose in it.

Don’t do it.

Whether you're toilet training an adult dog or house training a puppy, here’s why that’s the wrong approach, and what you should do instead.


Punishment can make things worse
First of all, let’s think about it from the dog’s perspective.

Suppose they pee in the house and you yell at them. What do they learn from this?

It’s unlikely the dog will understand why you are yelling. This is especially the case if there is a time lag between…
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