Tips to Help the Fearful Cat and Dog

Dogs and Cats can both show fear of many things. This article will discuss fears that affect both cats and dogs and give owners a few tips with how to help their cat or dog through these hard and stressful times.

CATS

Fear in cats can show in many ways. The fearful behavior of a cat can be:

Running
Hiding
Showing aggression by scratching, spitting and hissing
Stopping and freezing in place
Refusal to use litter box
Releasing anal glands
An extremely frightened cat will sometimes lose bowel and bladder control.

There are several things that may trigger a cat to be afraid and show the above signs of fear:
Loud noise that is new to them
A new environment
Strangers or strange animals in the home
New child
Even a trip to their veterinarian can cause fear triggers.

Some things that the cat owners can do to help their cat through these times and stressful events can be:

Just leaving them alone. If there are no signs of injury or illness just let them hide.
Make sure that there is water and food within easy reach.
Keep your cat away from what is scaring him.
Try to keep your cat as close to his regular routine as possible, if a move has
happened then be sure to feed him at the same time each day, keep his bed and
litter box close to him. It may be necessary to place your cat in a room alone for a
few days.
Please don't punish the cat for any fearful behavior this will only enforce his actions.

DOGS

Fear in dogs cannot only be hard on family members, the dog himself but others who come into contact with the dog.

Fear for dogs can show in many ways here are a few ways that owners may find as a guide to learning if the family dog is feeling fear.

Loud noise such as thunder, fireworks, gunshots.
A new environment such as a new home or move, even a new owner can cause fear
reactions.
A new child in the home
Company/visitors
A new pet in the family

Many dogs will try to escape when they are afraid, this means that they may attempt to leave the yard or hide somewhere within the yard or home.

What owners can do to help their dogs get through these fears are:

Make a safe place for your dog to hide when she is frightened. If it is firework season
then make a safe location for them where the noise is less.
Keep the dogs hiding place semi-dark and quiet and place some of their known
items such as toys or bedding in their hiding place.
Make your yard completely escape free, please seem my article
here
Distract your dog when they become fearful. Play games that you know hey enjoy to
distract them.
Speak with a behaviorist or your veterinarian for trainers who can instruct you
with "counter-condition" and "desensitization".

Finally it is not a good idea to allow any strangers or persons whom your animals are not completely comfortable with to engage with them during their periods of fearful behavior. The safety of friends, family and your pet are most important.