Problematic behavioral problems in companion animals are one of the most frustrating and emotionally draining challenges for their owners. Resolving these problems can often be extremely difficult; especially for animals who are hard to handle, aggressive and/or destructive. In these cases owners may become frightened of their pet and truly believe that the only two solutions for their dilemma are to either surrender the pet or have it euthanized. As far as this writer is concerned, there are no “bad” pets; they are simply companion animals whose behavior is misunderstood.
For those of us who deeply love animals, it’s a priority to learn what we can do to help a troubled pet. In fact, just the thought of making the decision to euthanize a companion animal due to serious behavioral issues is shocking and highly disturbing.
Unfortunately, behavioral issues are a common reason given by owners who have made that decision. But have these owners fully explored what they may be contributing to the situation and fully willing to do whatever it takes to rectify it?
We make a huge commitment to the pet we adopt. We promise to provide our companion animal with a permanent loving home and to take responsibility for all aspects of our pet’s life. Not only does this include feeding or learning how to best provide our pet with a species appropriate diet, regular veterinary care, interactive play and exercise, but also to ensure that their emotional needs are fully met.
Pets cannot verbalize their feelings. The only way they can communicate that something is amiss is through their behavior. There is always a reason for a pet to start acting out aggressively or becoming destructive. It’s up to the guardian to “listen” to what they are “saying.”
And even though these types of behavior are often frustrating and alarming; in my opinion it’s critical for owners to quickly get to the root of the problem in order for it to be successfully resolved. In fact in the majority of cases, this negative behavior can be positively changed but only if the owner is willing to examine the ways they are interacting with their pet, or to explore if the pet has a physical problem or if they have neglected to provide something that the pet is truly missing.
I can’t tell you how many times I have anguished over messages left on pet sites where irate members are complaining that their pet’s aggressive or destructive behavior has “driven them up the wall”. As a result of their pet’s exasperating behavior, some of them are even planning to either relinquish, or have the pet euthanized. And in spite of the many excellent suggestions given them by folks who have a great deal of insight into animal behavior, these owners are unwilling to go the extra mile to keep their commitments.
With the sizable advances in behavior therapy made over the years, I believe that euthanizing an animal is never warranted. Even if the owner has totally given up and has made this decision, after euthanizing the animal owners often experience overwhelming guilt. Additionally, relinquishing or rehoming the animal only results in more problems for the pet making rehabilitation even more difficult.
Today there is an abundance of resources available to pet owners living with companion animals with serious behavioral problems. As an example, Jackson Galaxy’s TV show, “My Cat from Hell” has demonstrated that the behavior of cats creating havoc in the lives of their owners can be positively transformed when the owners become savvier about feline nature and the ways in which their interactions can affect their cats. Over the years, he has saved countless cats and has restored harmony in their homes. Also, of course, this website has a plethora of pages on cat behavior.
Do you believe that euthanizing a pet who is exhibiting serious behavioral problems is ever justified? Please share your views in a comment.
Famously violent cat ‘Lux’ may have been systematically abused by man living in the home
P.S. Very rarely there are cats in homes who’ve been mentally damaged. And they even beat experts like Jackson Galaxy. One such cat was Lux.
Video of caged cat at shelter tells us how desparate he is to get out
Update August 10, 2022: this is an update by Michael. Jo Singer very usefully discusses domestic cats in homes on April 23rd, 2015. I would like briefly to mention shelter cats. Very often their lives depend upon their behaviour. And their behaviour in shelters can often depend upon the size of the cage in which they are placed and whether the interior of the cage is enriched to a certain extent. And of course, some shelters place their cats with foster parents. Both optimising cage space and placing cats with fosterers helps them to behave naturally and express their true character which almost always enhances the prospects of them being adopted.
Optimising cage space of shelter cats increases likelihood of adoption
I believe, as others do, that perfectly adoptable and well-mannered cats in shelters can end up behaving in a way which gives the impression to potential adopters that they are unadoptable because of the stresses of the circumstances under which they find themselves such as, for example cage space, the noise and the unfamiliarity of the surroundings. It is very difficult to ensure that cats are relaxed in shelters. And I’m sure that every shelter manager is thinking about how to successfully overcome this challenge.
Below are some more pages on ‘bad cat behavior’. Reminder: bad cat behavior is feline behavior which is always explicable and natural but it is a form of behavior which is disliked by some humans.
Thank you so much
Serbella,
I can’t imagine a veterinarian suggesting not to handle a cat. It is with the patient, careful and gentle handling that cats can be rehabilitated. Your work with Samirah shows that listening to her- knowing when to touch her and when to back off- returning her eye blinks and building her trust has transformed her into the loving cat that you knew that she would be.
We just got a second Sherpa carrier on Amazon. It was on sale! The first one we bought to replace a carrier which was far from escape-proof anymore- was a big hit. I rubbed some catnip onto the “fleece” lining on the bottom and the two of them would curl up together in it- so I got the second one to replace another worn-out carrier. They hang out in them a lot. If Samirah is carrier shy- leave one out all the time- maybe rub some catnip in it and leave a toy in it- and perhaps the trip will be less stressful for her. You have done wonders with her. Your love has been such an inspiration for so many who have followed your story.
Vicki, I amended that typo for you and deleted your follow up comment.
In the past I’ve euthanized two of my furkids, both males, both for the same reason: they blocked up completely. I discovered my boys had birth defects. Coyote was 11 months old. Rocky was 14 months old.
My lady Samirah is my latest companion. I adopted her a year ago. She’s 15 now. I always had cats from when they were kittens. She was someone else’s cat for the first 12 years of her life. 10 days after she came to live with me Samirah accidentally pulled out one of her claws. She immediately went into a rage. She thought I hurt her and she went on the defensive. Just the sound of my voice was enough to make her very very angry. She slashed me with her claws every chance she got. Taking her to the vet made matters worse. They gave her antibiotics and painkillers. Anyone who says that cats don’t hold grudges doesn’t know what they’re talking about.
The vet explained that during the first month with me Samirah had been handled more than she ever had been in her entire life. That was why she was angry. He also told me that the first time the shelter brought her in to his office he had to trank her through the holes in the carrier, and he and his tech still put on protective gear.
I tried everything: Feliway, calming drops, a calming collar, Jackson Galaxy’s Spirit Essences. She was too smart to eat the Prozac my vet prescribed. She physically attacked me whenever she saw me. I was afraid to be around her. I slept with my bedroom door closed. Whenever she lunged at me I blocked her with the lid of a large underbed storage container. Whenever I sat in the living room to watch tv she tried to run me out of the room. I refused to let her run me off. Everyone, including the vet, told me to take her back to the no kill shelter.
Three months later I gave up. I was going to take her back to the shelter that Saturday. That Thursday morning she hissed and growled at me. When I came back from work she was friendly. She’s been that way ever since.
My friends joked that Samirah realized I was sending her back. I just wanted to get her back to that sweet, shy cat she showed me when she first came. I never hit her back and I always stayed calm. That was hard, though.
A year later and she’s the sweetest thing. She follows me from room to room, she slow blinks, purrs and insists on head rubs. She sits there and watches me like a kid watching cartoons. She offers me her belly to rub, and I do, very carefully.
Her annual senior wellness exam is coming up in May. I’m retired now, and I have no way of knowing how she’s going to react this time. For the past year I’ve played and handled her every day. We cuddle, and I always try to follow up that time with something she likes, like treats or catnip. Every day we sit in the window and watch the traffic. Now I can clip her claws and examine her ears and teeth if I need to. She fusses, but she lets me do it. Before the vet warned me not to handle her much. He wanted me to bring her in to have her claws clipped. I couldn’t accept that. I never thought of putting her down, even when things were really bad.
I’ve noticed her fear reactions are all human based. I have a couple of robot dinosaurs that move and roar. Samirah sits there and watches them and I’ve seen her go up to them and kiss them on the nose. But the first time I pulled out a broom she ran and hid. She hates trash bags too. Just the sound of one being opened is enough to make her hide. I suspect physical abuse at the worst, or at least she received rough treatment.
If she has a bad reaction to the vet visit this time I know what to do. I’m just stubborn enough to hang in there with her.
Wow, this is a very hard subject for me to comment on. This problem not only exists for cats, but to many domestic animals. Animals have different personalities just the same as humans do. Now, make no mistake, it is a very good thing that the fate of sub humans that abuse, or neglect animals is not in my hands. Since I would probably get kicked off of social media, I will not say what my punishment would ber. The fact is there are some domestic animals that have personalities that can’t be coped with by some individuals for whatever reason. One of our Derby runners, Danzig Moon has a very nasty temperament and is very hard to handle. I do think it takes a special person to be able to handle some temperament of “hard to train” animals, the fact is that not everyone has the education or resources to correct the problem, or the financial means to do so. I think it would be a last resort to have the animal euthanized, but some people may think it is their only answer.
Totally agree with your comments Michael. Many times the “problem” behaviour is simply natural behaviour which the owner neither understands or is willing to tolerate.