Barking and whining is the way dog’s “talk” to us. However like popele, some dogs talk too much. Sometimes preventing a dog from barking is as easy as figuring out what he is trying to tell you. What is it that he is trying to point out to you? Is there a big shadow or something he is mistaking for a stranger in the place? Is he trying to tell you it is time to take him for a walk? Is he hungry? Or, like some humans, is he just making noises because it affirms that he exists. Dogs bark for a lot of reasons.
\Here are just a few of them.
1. He is calling the pack. This urge is a primal leftover from the days when a missing member of the family needed to be howled to so that it could return from a straying away.
2. He is lonely.
3. He is frustrated.
4. He is hungry.5.
He needs to go outside.
6. He is afraid.
7. He might be in pain.
8. He is excited (he sees another animal out the window.)
9. He is feeling territorial (and thinks people passing by, like the mailman are the enemy.).
Never discipline a dog for barking. Chances are he is trying to tell you something. Often the message is “you are not paying enough attention to me.” Sometimes a lonely dog will seek out a scowl, a reprimand or any kind of response from you because negative attention is better than no attention at all. Nervous and overexcited dogs, dogs with separation anxiety or dogs that haven’t been trained properly at an early age are prone to excessive barking. Some breeds tend to bark more than others do.
Check with other owners or the vet to find out if your dog’s barking habits are normal. If not it is time to instill more confidence in your dog that you will always return after you leave. Practice leaving your dog alone for short periods of time. Put on your coat, pick up your keys and leave the house for 1 minute. Then return. Then the next time leave for two minutes. Then return again. Never greet the dog when you return in an overly excited or giddy way. This will simply encourage him to bark again. Gradually increase the amount of time you stay away. This will accustom your pet to the idea that if you do go away, you will always return.
If your dog is barking all day while you are out at work is the problem make sure that the dog’s essential needs are taken care of. If the problem is lack of access to outside consider getting a doggie door or hiring a dog walker. If it is lack of food or thirst consider getting a self-feeder. If it is loneliness that is triggering the barking, then consider getting a pet walker or sitter in. Sometimes another pet in the house can quiet a chronic barker.
Perhaps the most fascinating quality cats have that we don’t is the ability to purr. Studies on the origins and possible reasons for the purr offer many theories but only make the habit more strange and interesting. Scientists are not in agreement whether all felines purr, but there are recorded cases of tigers and leopards caught in the act of purring where studies had indicated this was not possible, so it merely adds to mystery of the purr.
Nursing kittens begin to purr at about two weeks of age. This is a signal to the mother that her litter is free of danger, and the purr is returned to the kittens in an act of communication that domestic cats later use with pet owners.
A comprehensive study conducted at the Davis School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California concluded that purring originates from the cat’s central nervous system, but all reports to date have been inconclusive on the exact mechanism behind purring. Still, the study was able to determine that purring is a voluntary act on the part of the cat, which is enormously helpful to vets and cat owners looking for a better understanding of their charges and pets. A voluntary purr indicates that the cat uses it to communicate, which leads to many interesting truths about cat behavior.Most often a contented cat will purr, as when it is petted or played with.
Some cat owners have claimed their cats begin purring suddenly while sleeping, which leads to the notion that cats, like us, are dreamers. Cats also will purr when interacting with playmates, leading to a further notion that each cat has a purr easily recognized by housemate cats. The biggest lesson here is that if your cat purrs, it is very likely happy to be around you.However, cats can also purr for other reasons, and in sharply different situations.
Often a cat will purr when encountering a strange cat. Experts have theorized that this purr could be a submission trick, attempting to lull the stranger into the belief that a purring cat will not become aggressive. It was recently recorded that leopards began to purr directly following a successful capture of prey. This may confirm a cat’s instinct that the purr can act as a powerful sedative, helping to calm any creature close by, whether a pet owner or a doomed mouse.
Pregnant cats have been observed to purr vigorously when in the process of giving birth. This indicates that cats will purr to calm themselves down and help mask their own pain. On a more serious and melancholy note, it is widely observed that a cat will begin to purr when in the presence of a veterinarian about to deliver a euthanasia shot. There is no way to determine what this could mean. It could be a testament to the professionalism of veterinary staff in making sure cats are comfortable, or the cat may just be asking for a reprieve. Taken together, we can never be certain about the reasons for purring, but the odds are you have a happy cat, so keep on petting.
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It is generally believed that cats are solitary animals, since they seem to adapt very well to household situations as the sole pet or sole cat among pets. However, this is not the case in the wild, where cats are pack animals, much like their larger cousins in the cat family. And when a pack animal is killed, lost or separated from the group in any way, there is a mourning process, not unlike that experienced by humans who lose loved ones.
So it may be useful to keep a close watch on your cat if a playmate or co-owner passes away. Cats form very strong bonds with both their owners and playmates, so you can count on a period of mourning after a loss. But at first the signs may not be at all apparent that the process is underway, because it usually takes cats several days, perhaps even weeks, to exhibit depressive behavior. In this way cats are not unlike children.
Cats have a very high level of sensitivity to emotion, but at first they will not understand the reasons for the sadness they pick up from the humans around them.One of the principal signs of a cat in mourning is the tendency to search for the missing playmate or person.
The writers Frances and Richard Lockridge, who published the book Cats and People in the 1950’s, reported that their cat became inconsolable after Mr. Lockridge left for World War II service. The cat spent its days sitting in front of Mr Lockridge’s office and evenings by the front door. For some time the cat had a reduced appetite and did not respond to comfort from others in the house. Many other cat owners have reported similar incidents after a loss, including a cat’s habit of sleeping in the spot where the person or its playmate slept, constantly in a state of either searching or trying to understand the absence of a loved one. This behavior usually lasts from between two weeks to a month. However, instead of moving out of its doldrums, sometimes cats will sink into a deeper depression. The cat’s appetite will drop and its coat will lose its usual sheen of health. More serious complications can occur with older cats, who can very quickly go into a slide in health while engaged in the mourning process.Luckily there are several ways for the concerned cat owner to combat this turn of events. Veterinarians can prescribe medicine to stimulate the cat’s appetite, which in turn may help ease the animal out of its depression. Feline antidepressants are also an option. Many cat owners take the step of adding another cat to the household to help offset the emotional loss of a playmate.
Above all, it is very important to make certain that the cat feels loved and appreciated at all times, especially during this difficult period. This can make the largest investment towards the return of your happy, healthy cat.
