Changes

* Do not handle, restrain or otherwise force the cat to remain in proximity to people who induce a fearful reaction.

* Do not handle, restrain or otherwise force the cat to remain in proximity to people who induce a fearful reaction.

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For general discussion on feline fear please see [[Feline Fear Overview]]. The basis of pet ownership is the bond people feel with their pets. Clients expect that the positive feelings that they, and others, have for the pet will be reciprocated. So, fear related problems in cats are a source of distress for owners, who cannot understand why a cat is avoid ant of them and their visitors. Since the cat's primary means of coping with threat are avoidance and escape, [[Feline Aggression Towards People|aggression]] is less likely with cats than it would be with dogs.  

For general discussion on feline fear please see [[Feline Fear Overview]]. The basis of pet ownership is the bond people feel with their pets. Clients expect that the positive feelings that they, and others, have for the pet will be reciprocated. So, fear related problems in cats are a source of distress for owners, who cannot understand why a cat is avoidant of them and their visitors. Since the cat's primary means of coping with threat are avoidance and escape, [[Feline Aggression Towards People|aggression]] is less likely with cats than it would be with dogs.  

Fear of people can have a number of manifestations and underlying factors. Cats may have a general fear of all people, causing avoidance behaviour and potential aggressiveness if the cat is cornered. This is most likely in poorly [[Feline Socialisation|socialised cats]] or those that have been threatened or harmed by people in the past. Cats that are feral and have had no early rearing experience with people are a major challenge. The basic framework of positive associations with human contact is missing and has to be trained from scratch. This can be extremely time-consuming but rewarding. Cats that have a good early socialisation history but which have developed fear as a result of one or two aversive events may be easier to treat initially, but they often present a greater challenge later on as the full extent of the range of human-related stimuli they react to (clothing, size, vocal tone) becomes apparent over time.  

Fear may be confined to specific situations, such as handling or when approached, touched or picked up, with cats being relatively relaxed around people at other times. The main barrier to treating these kinds of problems is that it is often difficult to persuade owners to adopt a respectful and systematic approach; many owners will continue to try to handle and pick up frightened cats, which increases their intolerance and mistrust of people.  

With the wrong approach and enough perseverance, any fear-related problem can [[Feline Aggression Towards People|progress to aggression]]. Once actual aggression is seen, the whole style of treatment must change and some cat owners will be reluctant to proceed at all, so it is vital that the cat is not unintentionally provoked.

 

With the wrong approach and enough perseverance, any one of these types of fear-related problems can [[Feline Aggression Towards People|progress to aggression]]. Once actual aggression is seen, the whole style of treatment must change and some cat owners will be reluctant to proceed at all, so it is vital that the cat is not unintentionally provoked.

==Prevention==

==Prevention==