Top Advice on how to Deal with Stress and Behaviourial Changes in Pets by Katzenworld

USA - English

• USA - English

LONDON (PRWEB) July 12, 2019 -- Most people with pets have been in the situation of seeing their beloved pet's behaviour change entirely. A once playful and friendly dog that turned aggressive or a cat that used to greet every visitor with cuddles hiding away under a cupboard at the slightest sign of noise.

As pet guardians it is terrifying to have to watch your pet suffer yet many people don't always understand what brings these behavioral changes around in their beloved pet companions.

Often such a change of behaviour can be linked back to changes in the enviroment. In fact, facing stressful situations is quite often the lead cause to the development of unwanted behaviours according to expert Dog & Cat Behaviourists. Additionally, according to a report by the PDSA, 66% of dog owners and 62% of cat owners reported that they would like to change at least one behaviour shown by their pet. This change in behaviour is the point at which pet owners should take notice to help pets overcome their uneasy feelings.

Katzenworld, the UK's top cat online publication, has recently spoken to the UK's feline experts Anita Kelsey and Clare Hemington accredited Feline Behaviourists who both confirmed when dealing with problematic behaviour in cats it's all about finding the underlying issue that's causing stress to the feline and to resolve it.

But what can owners do in the short term while resolving the root cause? Or what if removing the root cause hasn't brought the pet back to its natural state of mind? Most pets will take some time to re-adjust but pet guardians can help the process by using calming supplements such as our Zylkene calming supplement to help pets cope with stress and recover from it.

What is Zylkene?

Zylkene contains a natural ingredient derived from casein, a protein in milk. It is a molecule well known to promote the relaxation of new-borns after breastfeeding. Launched in April 2008, Zylkene has become a familiar product for veterinary surgeons, behaviourists, nurses and pet owners for use in helping pets cope when facing unusual and unpredictable situations or before occasions such as a change in their normal environment.

Zylkene comes as sprinkle on capsules which are easy to give to both dogs and cats as they can be mixed into their regular food or treats and also as tasty chewy treats. The product comes with clear instructions based on weight and only has to be given once a day. Ideally, pet owners should start giving their pet the supplement prior to potentially stressful events such as a house move but will work quickly for pets that are already suffering from stress.

What else can owners do to help their pet?

Recommendations for dogs:

Start

• Teaching appropriate behavioural responses such as toileting in appropriate places, by encouraging and praising the behaviour when the dog/puppy toilets in the desired area and IGNORING the behaviour when the animal toilets in an inappropriate place.
• Using more hand signals and fewer words to improve communication cues.
• Creating a safe resting place, somewhere where they will not be disturbed by incoming and outgoing visitors into your home.

Stop

• All kinds of punishment.
• Reinforcing their dog's behaviour e.g. initiating cuddling or stroking the dog when it is shaking and nervous, although if they come to you for comfort first you should give them gentle attention.
• Signals that trigger responses to difficult situations such as tugging the lead on meeting other dogs. Giving involuntary warning signs, such as pulling on the lead when you see another dog, alerts your dog that there may be a problem.
• Reacting yourself – stay calm, your behavioural response may transfer to your dog as they are easily influenced by your emotions

Recommendations for Cats

Start

Environmental enrichments – these are activities which aim to give cats a more diverse interest in their everyday lives such as:

• Encouraging play and interaction with toys. Engage cats with ‘chase–and–pounce’ type games or mobiles which move and reflect light.
• Different ways of feeding which replicate their natural instinctive behaviour.
• Providing multiple feeding places.
• Thinking in 3D – cats use different levels in the house.
• Using feeding regimes that replicate hunting.
• Hiding small amounts of food.
• Small frequent meals are better than one or two.

Stop

• Punishment of any kind.
• Forced contact; this applies to human and other animals, cats notably prefer contact to be little and often and on their terms.
• Reacting yourself – stay calm, your behavioural response may transfer to your cat as they are easily influenced by your emotions.

For further details and interviews with feline experts, images or samples (limited quantities) please do get in touch through the contact details section.

Runcie-Unger Marc-Andre, Katzenworld Ltd, https://katzenworld.co.uk, 07969738331, [email protected]