Your pet can get stressed too, and sudden barks or bites can be scary for both you and your four-legged friend. If someone gets attacked by your cat or dog, they might assume they are violent or aggressive, but your pet might feel threatened or think they are defending you from attackers. It’s important to address any signs of violence by identifying why they react that way.
Rescue Pet Trauma
Although not all pets are rescued, it’s important to remember that you may not be fully aware of your pet’s past. Some pets may have been left on their own away from humans, or on the other hand not have been exposed to other pets. They may have been scared most of their short-lives, and react negatively to strangers petting them out of fear. If you have a nervous rescue pet, it’s really important to tell any visitors to avoid any potential outbursts or plan out your walking routes if your pet is wary of other four-legged friends.
Read The Warning Signs
Understanding your pet’s warning signs is a sure-fire way to avoid any unexpected attacks. Like us, their stress levels will build up until they feel they have no other option but to defend themselves. Warning signs in pet behaviour for dogs can include sitting or standing stiffly, yawning, or turning their head away from the source of stress. Cats may twitch their tails, flatten their ears or have dilated pupils.
How Does Your Pet See It?
What you perceive as a sudden attack might be seen differently by your pet. They might be showing affection by being playful, but overdo it and actually come across as aggressive. Or you might think you’re being affectionate by stroking them, but actually, they’re feeling defensive because the strange human keeps poking them. Put yourself in the paws of your pet.
Address Aggression
There are different ways animals can display aggression, whether it’s towards other pets, humans, or even going on full guard defensive for their family or their food source. Sometimes it’s easy to manage their aggression if certain factors trigger it. For example, if your cat attacks if you stroke it when eating the best cat food in UK shops, leave them to it. It’s important to consider size, too. As much as you love your pet, if it’s huge and aggressive, it may be worth taking some extra steps, like pet training.
Don’t Shout At Me
You might be the kindest person on the planet, but it’s important to remember that your pets have sensitive ears. If you’re wondering why your cat or dog is permanently stressed, it might be worth considering how you speak to them. Pets can pick up on facial expressions, gestures and tone of voice, so it’s important to understand yourself and your own stress factors to avoid putting them upon your pet.
Understanding your four-legged friends and taking the time to watch what triggers any aggression is an important step to keeping everyone safe. Pet’s get sad, sick and scared too, just like us. Keeping them happy should hopefully avoid any sudden attacks and keep them as your favourite four-legged friend.
