Good gardeners heed weather forecasts. If they didn’t respond to dire warnings by taking preemptive action, their tender plants would freeze when temperatures plummet and wilt when the drying sun blazes overhead.
What has this to do with companion animal behaviour? Actually, when it comes to cat owning, quite a lot! Because if owners took a bit more notice of what was happening outside and acted accordingly, a significant number of the problem behaviours that later haunt them could be avoided. How so?
House soiling
Remarkably few owners seem to provide “emergency” indoor latrine facilities, even though at some stage in their lives most cats may be inadvertently shut inside, become ill or too frightened by something that’s happening, at home or in the immediate vicinity, to go out to relieve themselves.
If the stressor is not temporary but intermittent, encountered on a regular basis or a permanent feature, it is almost certain that an alternative toileting site indoors will be established.
A whole range of such stressors can spook cats. A toddler in the family, builders next door or weekly recycling collections, when bottles smash into mechanical crushers, can for instance cause palpitations and a loss of confidence for resident felines.
When nature calls, the resultant reluctance they feel to go outside past the fear-inducing stimulus, whatever it is, not uncommonly initiates a problem that persists for months, or possibly years. Inevitably, therefore, no one is ultimately able to recall the environmental conditions that gave rise to the problem in the first place.
Sadly, however, many owners are fully aware that their pets “hate” bad weather. But they still fail to realise ahead of difficulties developing just how unpleasant it is for most cats to go outside and seek out a private, secluded location – which by definition in most suburban gardens involves a significant trek across patio and decking from the back door or cat flap when the wind is raging or rain is lashing against the house.
After all, their original ancestors inhabited the African savannah not the wilds of Siberia so, with a few exceptions such as the descendants of the hardy forest dwelling felines, is it really likely that most cats will enjoy traipsing through drizzle, sleet or snow to dig a hole in ground that is cold, wet and uncomfortable to deal with?
Yet few of their people respond by getting out the litter and tray, which is a bit surprising when we consider how grateful our not so distant relatives were to swap the outside privy for a nice indoor water closet.
But it isn’t just in winter that difficulties can arise. When drought hits, soil hardens and compacts, making excavation of even a modest latrine pit a tough and lengthy process, especially for the anxious, elderly and feeble among our feline population.
Is it any wonder that they often transfer their attention to finding a suitable latrine site indoors? And this particular risk may well increase if a heat wave coincides with school holidays, when the presence of noisy youngsters excitedly vacationing is an added disincentive to outdoor excursions.
Problems relate to each other
It may seem a bit over the top to suggest that we should counsel our clients to listen to weather forecasts on a regular basis to better cater for their pets’ sensitivities and avoid house-soiling problems.
But it is perhaps not unreasonable that we bear in mind the potential effects of weather when advising novice owners or those of timid, infirm or elderly cats, especially if we know they live in busy locations where stresses, including numerous other felines, already abound.
Advocating a permanent “emergency” litter tray is no bad thing in any cat-owning household. After all, the incidence of cystitis tends to increase when temperatures drop and we dare not leave home without a raincoat or umbrella.
Who can blame cats for holding on as long as possible between trips outside when they know they will come back cold, wet and miserable? And many, being reluctant to soil their core area unless suitable facilities are available, will do exactly that.
How frustrating and stressful such a situation is will obviously depend on the temperament and experience of the individual concerned. But it’s also important for us to bear in mind that such high arousal may well have a knock-on negative effect, which can spill over into other areas of life and management.
Relationships are inevitably affected when arousal increases. With the animals close to us this can have the effect of lowering the aggression threshold and introducing the risk of a cat lashing out at those around him. They may be human or another pet.
Which brings us to the thorny issue of multi-cat households, where strains – frequently unrecognised by owners – not uncommonly simmer just below the surface.
Anyone who has spent a frustrating, wet childhood afternoon in a seaside caravan or small apartment, where the rising tension in a social group almost inevitably ends in emotional eruption, can immediately relate to how many cats feel when inclement weather blights their daily round.
When prolonged bouts of wind, rain, sleet or snow force everyone to stay indoors, even previously harmonious relations can be strained, sometimes to breaking point.
Timely advice can make a difference
As we know, whatever the situation prevention is better than trying to pick up the pieces and restore equilibrium.
So whenever we have the chance to influence our cat-owning clients for the benefit of their charges, we could undoubtedly make a contribution to feline emotional and physical well-being if we drew attention to the necessity of adequately catering for the “fair weather” felines that dwell amongst us.
