Changes

==Underlying Factors==

==Underlying Factors==

The cat is highly '''self-reliant''' and depends on its own ability to control and utilise resources in [[Effect of Environment on Feline Behaviour|its environment]]. It experiences strong drives to [[Feline Predatory Behaviour|hunt, feed]] and carry out self-maintenance behaviours at set intervals. Hunting, for example, is not primarily regulated by appetite or satiation so cats will continue to hunt regardless of their earlier success or failure. The [[Normal Feline Behaviour|cat’s normal behavior]] is therefore '''highly structured''' and '''self-disciplined'''. This reflects the fact that, in a given area, the [[Feline Territorial Behaviour|territories]] of several cats may partially overlap so that each individual can gain access to certain common resources, or traverse corners of each other’s territory in order to get from place to place. The temporal structure of the cat’s behaviour, combined with its [[Feline Communication Behaviour|system of marking]], allows each cat to exist in isolation from others, thus minimising conflict and maximising the cats ability to utilise resources on demand. Great reliance is placed on the reliability of access to resources.

The cat is highly '''self-reliant''' and depends on its own ability to control and utilise resources in [[Effect of Environment on Feline Behaviour|its environment]]. It experiences strong drives to [[Feline Predatory Behaviour|hunt, feed]] and carry out self-maintenance behaviours at set intervals. Hunting, for example, is not primarily regulated by appetite or satiation so cats will continue to hunt regardless of their earlier success or failure. The [[Normal Feline Behaviour|cat’s normal behavior]] is therefore '''highly structured''' and self-disciplined. This reflects the fact that, in a given area, the [[Feline Territorial Behaviour|territories]] of several cats may partially overlap so that each individual can gain access to certain common resources, or traverse areas of each other’s territory in order to get from place to place. The temporal structure of the cat’s behaviour, combined with its [[Feline Communication Behaviour|system of marking]], allows each cat, or group of cats, to exist in isolation from others, thus minimising conflict and maximising each cat's ability to utilise resources as it needs them. Great importance is therefore placed on the reliability of access to resources and avoidance of conflict with conspecifics.

'''[[Effect of Environment on Feline Behaviour|Environmental factors]] are therefore extraordinarily important in all [[Feline Problem Behaviour|feline behavioural problems]]''', especially compulsive disorders. For the cat to live in an environment that places it in close proximity with potential competitors, inside or outside the home, and with limited control over access to resources and territory, can have a very damaging effect.  

Feline compulsive disorder is associated with a lack of ability to carry out [[Normal Feline Behaviour|normal behaviour]], combined with the social stress of perpetual competition and conflict. Improvement of the physical and [[Feline Social Behaviour|social environment]] is therefore critically important for cats with compulsive disorders. Even without a compulsive element, the cat is likely to increase the amount of self-maintenance behaviour it performs as a substitute for constrained opportunities to perform other behaviours such as hunting behaviour and territory maintenance.

Feline compulsive disorder is more commonly associated with a lack of ability to carry out [[Normal Feline Behaviour|normal behaviour]], combined with the social stress of perpetual competition and conflict. Improvement of the physical and [[Feline Social Behaviour|social environment]] is therefore critically important for cats with compulsive disorders. Even without a compulsive element, the cat is likely to increase the amount of self-maintenance behaviour it performs as a substitute for thwarted hunting behaviour and territory maintenance.

In a domestic environment, cats experience a range of constraints on their behavioural needs, which can lead to stress and frustration that contribute to the expression of compulsive behaviour. Some are due to human lifestyle, such as being kept indoors because the apartment has no outdoor access. Others are due to misunderstanding of the cat's needs, such as meal feeding instead of ad-lib or activity feeding, or the introduction of a new cat in order to provide company for a single resident cat. Inappropriate feeding is a very common cause of problems; cats would normally eat 10-20 small meals each day when given free choice. When fed two meals a day, as is typical in many households, this is the equivalent of a person only being given food every 2nd or third day and results in prolonged periods of hunger for the cat. For the cat to live in an environment that places it in close proximity with potential competitors, inside or outside the home, and with limited control over access to resources and territory, can be highly stressful.

 

'''[[Effect of Environment on Feline Behaviour|Environmental factors]] are therefore extraordinarily important in all [[Feline Problem Behaviour|feline behavioural problems]]''', especially compulsive disorders.  

 

There are large individual differences in behaviour and personality between between cats, which result in variation in stress response to living conditions. For example, a cat with low sociability may have much more difficulty coping with the introduction of a new cat to the household, especially if the home does not provide sufficient resources and opportunities for the reside cat to maintain distance form the new arrival.

==Breed Predisposition==

==Breed Predisposition==