London - Whether they are lounging on a sofa or being cuddled by an adoring owner, cats appear to enjoy a relaxed way of life.
But according to experts, nothing could be further from the truth.
Household cats are apparently suffering from soaring levels of stress – and modern life is to blame.
According to the latest statistics, there has been a sharp rise in the number of cats ending up at the vet’s with stress-related conditions such as dermatitis or cystitis.
Dr John Bradshaw, who specialises in anthrozoology – the study of the interaction between humans and animals – has examined why this is ahead of a new television show called Cat Wars.
He claims cats find living next to other cats ‘terrifying’ and suggests keeping them indoors.
The show, which airs on Monday September 22 on BBC1, examines the issues surrounding cat owners, from those who love them to neighbours that loathe them.
Asked for his opinion on why problems with cats occur, Dr Bradshaw told the Radio Times: “Unlike dogs, the cat is still halfway between a domestic and a wild animal, and it’s not enjoying 21st century living.
“If cat owners understood their pets better, they’d recognise the demands we’re putting on them and how that manifests itself in their physical and mental health. There’s an enormous number of cats living cheek by jowl, which they don’t find easy. Many of them spend their lives trying to avoid contact with one another, because they’ve yet to evolve the optimistic enthusiasm for contact with their own kind that dogs have.
“Cats are territorial. Two of the major reasons they’re taken to vets are dermatitis and cystitis, and there’s growing evidence that they’re brought on by the cat living close to another feline that’s terrifying it.”
Dr Bradshaw was part of the team who made last year’s hit Horizon programme The Secret Life Of The Cat, and also appears in a three-part series, Cats, which will be shown on BBC2 in a few weeks.
Asked for his tips on how to keep a cat in high spirits, he suggests allowing it free range of the house.
And if a neighbour’s cat is bothering yours, he recommends keeping your pet inside to avoid added stress.
Dr Bradshaw said one solution is to breed a cat more suited to modern life: More docile, less inclined to hunt and more open to training. As the cat’s genome isn’t yet fully domesticated, there’s scope to adapt its behaviour genetically.
He added: “Most cats don’t find human attention rewarding in its own right, so you can’t rely on affection and approval to train a cat.” - Daily Mail