Cause: behavioral problems related to a lack of adequate or appropriate socialization and/or habituation.
Signs: may be manifested as problems of over or under attachment to owners, excessive fear reactions to people, other animals or the environment and inability to respond appropriately to the environment. Ensure handling and restraint of aggressive cats performed by trained staff to avoid risk of injury to owner.
Treatment: prevention is simple but requires adequate education of breeders and new owners.
Prognosis: often slow but can be quite good.
Presenting signs
Inability to respond appropriately to people, other animals or the environment.
Excessive fear reactions to normal everyday stimuli.
In the case of a lack of socialization there is likely to be a lack of depth to the cat-owner relationship and a problem of underattachment.
Where socialization has been present but has been inappropriate there may be problems of over bonding with resulting behavioral symptoms.
Inability to tolerate other cats within the household .
Age predisposition
Symptoms often evident from a very early age.
Possible to see problems related to socialization and habituation during a second sensitive period which occurs in adulthood and can be triggered by trauma, eg post illness or RTA (HBC - hit-by-car).
Kittens that have lacked adequate or appropriate socialization and habituation between 2 and 7 weeks of age are likely to have a lower reactive threshold to stimuli later in life leading to fear responses and an inability to relate to people, animals and the environment in an appropriate manner.
Trauma can trigger a second sensitive period of behavioral development and if the kitten's experiences during this period are inadequate or inappropriate there can be a triggering of behavioral symptoms similar to those exhibited when there is a lack of primary socialization and habituation.
Predisposing factors General
Lack of adequate socialization and habituation between 2 and 7 weeks of age.
Inappropriate genetic influences from mother and very importantly father. The father has an influence of the trait of boldness and when the absence of the boldness trait is combined with a lack of appropriate or adequate socialization and habituation behavioral problems are very likely. The mother will influence the kittens response to socialization and habituation both genetically and through the role of observational learning.
Pathophysiology
Lack of ability to respond to everyday stimuli due to inappropriate or inadequate attention to the behavioral development of the kitten between 2 and 7 weeks of age.
Onset of inappropriate responses following a trauma and the triggering of a second sensitive stage.
Lack of normal behavioral responses such as exploration and play .
Client history
Owner complains that cat is either too attached to them and causing problems related to dependence or is unable to interact appropriately with them and is non-rewarding as a companion animal.
Owner complains that the cat is excessively reactive toward everyday stimuli - the reaction may be fearful or aggressive.
Owner complains that the cat fails to display normal feline responses such as play, predatory and exploratory behaviors.
Clinical signs
See behavioral signs.
Diagnostic investigation
Physical examination.
Definitive Diagnostic features
History of lack of appropriate or adequate socialization and/or habituation between 2 and 7 weeks of age.
History of trauma triggering the behavioral responses suggesting the triggering of a second sensitive period of behavioral development.
Differential diagnosis
Other causes of feline aggression .
Other causes of feline fear.
Medical problems causing a lack of responsiveness to the environment.
Medical problems causing pain foci which can cause excessive responses to stimuli.
Remedial socialization and habituation using techniques such as desensitization and counter-conditioning to promote a positive response to people, animals and the environment.
In cases of severe behavioral problems as a result of minimal or extremely inappropriate socialization and habituation drug therapy may be indicated in order to decrease the threshold of reactivity and allow the behavioral therapy to take effect, eg Buspirone 0.5-1.0mg/kg SID-BID or Clomipramine 0.5-1.0mg/kg SID.
Subsequent management
Treatment
It is always essential to monitor the progress and to adjust the behavioral treatment where necessary.
Owners need to be reminded that progress will be slow - rushing the processes of desensitization and counter-conditioning can be very counterproductive.
Pay attention to adequate and appropriate socialization and habituation for all kittens between 2 and 7 weeks of age.
Start introducing variation at an early age. There is a requirement for both social and environmental enrichment.
At 2 weeks of age gentle handling should begin for short periods of just a few minutes and the kittens should be spoken to while being handled.
The length of sessions should gradually increase and should include less familiar people and ultimately total strangers. Ensure adequate amount of handling both in frequency and length of handling sessions.
Ensure that kittens are handled by a number of different handlers, preferrably more than 4, in order to ensure generalization of socialization to people in general and not just to one specific person.
Ensure appropriate handling. Kittens should be touched on all parts of their body and frequently lifted and gently restrained so that they become accustomed to being handled.
Kittens should ideally be handled in the presence of the queen and littermates. If the queen is nervous it is important to limit handling sessions in the beginning and to constantly reassure her by gently speaking to her while stroking her. It can also help to get down to her level and so make yourself less threatening. Once the queen is more relaxed the kittens can be handled.
Toys should be introduced after the kittens have had some experience of people. Some cats will prefer to interact with their owners by playing with toys. The variety and complexity of the toys and household items which the kitten experiences should gradually increase over time.
Breeders have a responsibility to consider the potential genetic influences on the behavior of kittens when considering breeding programs. They also have an obligation to initiate a sensitive and imaginative socialization program since most cats spend the majority if not all of the sensitive period of socialization at the breeders premises.
New owners have a responsibility to ensure that the program is continued well into the juvenile period.
Prognosis in these cases depends on what level, if any, of socialization and habituation has been received and on owner commitment to what will be a very slow process of rehabilitation. It also depends on the cat's own personality, and requirement for social interaction, and its consequent ability to respond to the treatment program.
In cases where there has been a total lack of any socialization or habituation during the sensitive period of 2-7 weeks of age the prognosis for reform is very grave and in many cases these kittens will never make suitable companion animals and euthanasia is necessary.
Prognosis is also affected by the length of time over which the behavior has been exhibited and the involvement of learned responses in the present repertoire.
Expected response to treatment
Increase in tolerance of proximity of people and other animals.
Progression to an acceptance of handling by people.
Increase in normal feline behaviors of play and exploration.
Decrease in specific symptoms of fear and/or aggression.
Increase in overall confidence and normalization of the responses to the environment and to people and other animals.
Reasons for treatment failure
Standard reasons misdiagnosis, client non-compliance.
Feline personality with a very low requirement for social interaction.
Significant learned component to the behavioral signs.
D Appleby Dip CABC, The Pet Behaviour Centre, Upper Street, Defford, Worcestershire, WR8 9AB, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1386 750615; Fax: +44 (0)1386 750743.
Dr H Ellen Whiteley DVM, HCR 64 Box 606, Guadalupita, New Mexico 87722, USA.
Organization(s)
Companion Animal Behaviour Therapy Study Group c/o Mr D S Mills BVSc MRCVS, CABTSG Secretary, De Montfort University, Lincoln, Caythorpe Court, Caythorpe, Grantham, Lincs, NG32 3EP.
European Society of Veterinary Clinical Ethology c/o Dr J. Dehasse DVM, 129, Avenue de la Fauconnerie, B-1170, Brussels, Belgium. Tel/Fax: 00 32 2 675 8666.
Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors PO Box 46, Worcester, WR8 9YS, UK. Tel:/Fax: 01386 751151.
Ensure handling and restraint of aggressive cats performed by trained staff to avoid risk of injury to owner.
