One big concern has been the added stress of kids home on the family pets. Numerous clients have reported their cats hiding in closets and under beds, avoiding contact, as well as dogs that don't want to come in the house or want to stay in their crates. The metro Denver area actually reported a substantial increase in reported, child-directed dog bite cases for the end of March and beginning of April, right when SIP orders went into effect and kids were doing remote learning from home. It's always important to be there to watch your children when they are interacting with your pets, but as more than one parent has told me, they can't be there every second. Given that, parents need to spend extra time working with their children on understanding what stress, anxiety, and agitation look like in dogs and cats. Most pets actually do give a warning before they bite, but those warnings are often ignored and the pets escalate their aggression in frustration. Remind your children and grandchildren that a dog under a chair or table, in its crate, sleeping in the yard, or on its dog bed does not want to be disturbed. If the child really wants to interact, they can call the dog to them. If the dog readily comes over, he wants to interact. If he ignores the child, the child must accept this and walk away. Same for cats hiding in closets and under beds; kids need to leave them alone. They can get a cat toy and see if the cat might want to come out and play, but they shouldn't reach for or otherwise disturb the cat. And no climbing up on chairs to "rescue" the cat from the top of the refrigerator! If your cat has taken refuge up on top of the fridge, leave them be!
While it may seem like I am "calling out" kids, these same guidelines apply to adults too. I had one client ask her husband to video her with their cat. In the video, you can see the cat trying to casually move away as she approached him. When she scooped him up, the cat was arching away and pushing off from her to get down. When she insisted on holding him, you could hear really loud purring. She felt that meant the cat had been "playing hard to get." Her husband felt the cat was really stressed out and they were calling me for my opinion. I said the purring wasn't a happy sound in this case, but a cat who was stressed and irritated, trying to self-regulate with a human who had heeded none of his obvious signs of distress. Needless to say, the woman felt really bad that she didn't see this for what it was. I told her she wasn't alone; many of my adult clients are anxious themselves and seeking out their pets for comfort. Doing so, however, can increase their pets discomfort overall. Pets need their down time, their "me time," their alone time just like people. Keeping your pets to their regular schedules for feeding, exercise, and engagement helps to reduce their stress and anxiety and understand what is expected of them.
Look at it this way: most of us enjoy contact with other people (in non-pandemic times!), but on our own terms. People who stand too close to us when speaking, hug us without being invited to do so, or hold our hand too long in a handshake make us uneasy at best and even angry at worst. Hugging your dog, squeezing your cat, forcing them to receive attention from you on a whim/when they are resting etc., makes them uneasy at best and angry at worst. While some cats and dogs seek out close contact all the time, others need more alone time to feel comfortable and recharge their social batteries, so to speak. Knowing which of those pets you share your home with is key. And respecting those boundaries makes for a more peaceful quarantine, with less anxiety all around.
As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.
Let grooming cats be! Nacho has chosen an outdoor chair in the sunshine where he can groom and nap without interruptions!
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