Does Your Cat Have OCD?

It can be extremely frustrating for any cat keeper when their kitty starts acting "weird" without an obvious reason for their bizarre behavior. A couple of years ago, Hubble, our white Oriental Shorthair began acting very peculiar. My husband and I watched him like a hawk trying to figure out what he was trying to tell us. Since his eating, drinking and litter box habits were perfectly normal, we were totally puzzled watching him pacing back and forth around the house in repetitive patterns, sometimes accompanied with loud yowling. He also had an odd habit of circling our bathtub ledge exactly three times prior to using the litter box. It was if he were actually counting the number of times he walked around the tub before he felt safe. He also frequently over-groomed, pulling out patches of fur. Following a thorough medical workup, including blood work to rule out any underlying physical condition causing this behavior, with his perfectly normal results our veterinarian diagnosed him with OCD; obsessive-compulsive disorder. We were, to say the least, flabbergasted but eager to find out more about this condition to help him. So what exactly is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder? According to an article I found on the internet, symptoms of OCD in cats are "abnormal, recurrent actions that are out of context with the situations in which they occur". As the cat loses "control" over starting or stopping the behavior, it becomes compulsive and may even get in the way of normal functioning. Cats that have OCD often display extended obsessive and excessive grooming, repetitive motor, ingestive, or even hallucinogenic behaviors for which there is no apparent reason. They can also exhibit excessive chewing, paw-shaking, running and chasing invisible objects, over-vocalization, foot chewing and tail chasing, which both of the latter are considered self-directed aggression. It is thought that this disorder has a genetic component with some breeds at higher risk for this condition. Wool sucking is more common in the Oriental breeds. These compulsive behaviors may result as a response to boredom, stress anxiety or conflict. Even a slight change in the cat's environment can suddenly trigger these behaviors, but ultimately they become habitual and have nothing to do with what first started them. Just as humans with OCD, cats learn to cope with troubling situations using these compulsive actions. But in the long run, if the cat is not injuring itself, these behaviors may actually be the most appropriate outlet for stress and conflict resolution. Treatment includes drug therapy along with behavior modification and discovering methods to reduce anxiety and conflict situations and not rewarding the cat for the behaviors. Distracting the cat by redirecting their negative behavior to a more positive one can also be helpful. Visit http://www.examiner.com/pet-care-in-washington-dc/ocd-and-your-cat to learn more about this disorder and how it can be treated. Have you ever considered your cat may have O.C.D.? Leave a comment and tell us about it. Photo by Jo Singer