What Not To Do To Unbalance A Dog Or Cat
No matter how much connection we have with our pets, we are not of the same species, so differences or misunderstandings of behavior can arise. It is important to know not only what our pet likes, but also what could unbalance it. They say that coexistence is difficult, and it is true. No matter how in love we are with our dog or our cat, until we adapt to our characters and behaviors, things are a little more complicated.
And that is not only felt by us, so do the animals. To understand your pet and not do anything that can unbalance them, we are going to know what could cause this and how to act.
What makes our pets unbalance
Dogs and cats are different, therefore the reasons that can lead them to unbalance are not the same. Let’s start by analyzing each group.
What unbalances cats
Cats are routine animals, independent and not very expressive. This makes that if something has possibly happened around him that unbalances him, it is more difficult to recognize it than in a dog.
The causes of feline imbalance can be:
- Changes in your routine. Even a change of furniture in the house can get you unbalanced.
- Abuse. Animals are not prepared for us to treat them badly, and the calm nature of cats makes them even less prepared for it. Be it physical or verbal, abuse affects them.
- The jealousy. Cats are very territorial, and in their case, accepting a new pet at home with whom they will have to share their territory and the love of their owners can be difficult.
- Stress. The above causes and surely others still unknown, are causes of stress in cats. This is something that can unbalance them and cause them to have inappropriate behaviors.
Harms of imbalance in cats
Changes in the behavior of a cat that is unbalanced will be visible. For example, he might start to throw the sand out of his litter box, lose his appetite or scatter food everywhere, urinate or defecate at home, lick himself hard until he hurts himself, or use his scraper more than usual.
On the other hand, it will be easy to find eczema or bald spots on your skin, a sign of stress. What to do to help your cat?
- Calming scents at home
- Have a lot of patience in the face of jealousy
- Adopt another feline (accepting that it will take an adaptation process)
What can throw a dog off balance
Dogs are different from cats, because their attitude towards life is very different, more positive. For them it may be more difficult to unbalance, but it also happens for these reasons:
- Traumas. If you have adopted an older dog and notice strange behavior in him, it is possible that he has been abandoned or abused.
- Humanize them. A dog is an animal, not a person. You have to show them affection and be attentive to their needs, but without reaching the limits of treating them like a human. In fact, that is also a form of abuse.
- Overprotect or isolate them. Neither extreme is good.
- Jealousy of another new pet could also throw your dog off balance.
If your dog is suffering from any of these causes, he will have behaviors such as aggressiveness, compulsive barking and movements that he repeats over and over again, such as trying to bite his tail or turn around on himself.
How to help your dog
The best:
- Set limits in your dealings with him, where love and affection reign, but make it clear where each one is.
- Exercise. Exercise helps eliminate toxins and relaxes.
- Avoid punishment. Positive reinforcement is always the most appropriate, as has been demonstrated. Therefore, the punishments will only make the situation worse.
Adjusting with a new pet can be difficult at first, but follow these tips and everything will go smoothly.
