Questions tagged [psychology]
Regarding a pet's mental status, or motivation for behaviors or attitudes.
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why does my dog go crazy when i scratch the bed while she's scratching it?
So my dog (an 11yo female yorkie) sleeps in my bed with me and sometimes she'll go on a scratching spree, scratching the bed. I guess this can sometimes be territorial or her just trying to make her ...
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I used to abuse my cat. Is it best that I get rid of him, or is it okay if he stays with me?
I've had my cat for 6 years now. a few times during his early years, I abused him. I don't have a good excuse. If I could go back in time and stop myself, I would, but I can't. I have to just live ...
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Dog won't chase ball for my husband
Our small dog is 8. As a puppy my husband taught her to chase the ball. She reliably brought it back for more. Suddenly this year she will ONLY chase the ball if I throw it. If my husband throws it ...
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3 year old cat gnaws at skin and has bald patches
Our cat is ~3 years old, female domestic short hair. She's happy and playful, eats normal, drinks normal. She's had a CBC where everything was normal according to the vet except for borderline high ...
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How to stop my neutered male cat from attacking my spayed female cat?
I have 4 cats in my household. A female brown tabby (oldest, 9 yrs), female black cat (7), female black & white short-hair & male black & white short-hair (both 5). All neutered and spayed ...
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I’m worried about being near pets due to past issues
I live with a cat, she’s the cutest thing in the world, she’s also a runt, and still is the size of a kitten, yet she’s about 3. I’ve not physically hurt her, but sometimes I’ve forced her to sit with ...
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Why does my puppy like to lick my older dog's mouth (inside!)?
I have two female stray dogs, one is 5 yo, and the other one (the puppy) is almost 2 yo, and my puppy likes to lick my older dog's mouth.
And when I say mouth, I mean INSIDE the mouth, like the teeth ...
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Why did my first time mom German Shepherd eat puppy #8 from her newborn litter?
I purchased my AKC registered western German Shepherd from a reputable kennel in Romania where I had previously purchased her distant cousin. This was her first litter and she’s 2 1/2 years old. She ...
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Is it cruel to take a cat inside for one or two days due to cold?
There are several stray cats outside and currently the weather is around 0 C. We expect it to get colder at night. The temperature is expected to be around -10 C during the night.
While I expect all ...
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How to regain pet's trust after hurting him
Ok for context I'm a twelve almost thirteen year old and I have two dogs, but I'm focusing on one called Benji. He's a larger dog and is always pulling on walks, so my mum would smack him on the head (...
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Cat growling at nearby people while holding a "caught" toy
At some point, my cat started growling whenever she manages to catch her toys in her teeth. When she does this, she holds onto it while growling whenever anyone is within a meter or two. One thing ...
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Help - How can I help rescue this young stray kitten?
So there's this young stray kitten (can run and eat solid food) that got stuck outside our window on the 3rd floor of an apartment building.
We helped bring her down and brought her inside the house (...
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Kitten growling and hissing while obssesively playing with a brand new toy
I adopted a female kitten that is about 8 weeks old with 3 other litter mates. She is a medium-haired tuxedo. I've had them for about 3 weeks. I brought home a new toy for her to play with today. It's ...
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Due to roach infestations in the past, i began feeding my cat on paper on the dining table. Now she won't eat from her dish again post-bugs
I have been feeding my senior cat on the kitchen table for a while since I was having problems with roaches getting into her bowl. Now i bought a brand new feeder but she still looks for her food on ...
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Why has my cat changed all of a sudden?
I've raised my cat from a kitten, she was maybe 3 or 4 weeks old. I've been by her constantly. I am a stay at home mom so I really mean constantly. I carried her around the house with me, put her in ...
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Dog escapes as I am parking in the garage
Backstory:
I have two dogs, one is a female black mongrel (poodle sized) that we have adopted when young (she is now ~8 months we got her when she was ~4 months), and the other is a spayed female ...
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How to scare dogs away from attacking a child?
A friend of mine with a one-year-old child lives in a neighbourhood with many aggressive, poorly trained dogs who sometimes get out without a leash. Obviously, the best thing is to avoid a conflict in ...
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How do I "apologise" to my cat?
How do I apologise to a cat / undo accidental actions?
Let's say, I'm going to the bathroom at night, my cat tries to weave between legs and accidentally got kicked. Or, I'm drinking water, the cat is ...
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What should I do if my dog fails a cycle of her separation training?
I'm training my dog to feel more independent when she's alone. I have her lie down on her bed in the bathroom, tell her to stay, and close the door.
If she's lying down when I open the door, she gets ...
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Dog wanders aimlessly when it's time to go outside
I adopted two dogs (bonded) about half a year ago. One (Dog A) behaves as every other dog I've had in the past. One (Dog B) is a bit of an oddball. Both recognize what I mean when I ask them when it's ...
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Attention seeking cat refusing attention when given
I have a new cat that I have adopted, Sid (6mo). Pouf (5yrs), a previous cat, passed away, and I got Sid as a replacement to give Emma (7 yrs) some companionship, to which she didn't take well (Emma ...
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How can I train my dog's reaction when she goes into full panic mode?
When my dog sees or hears something scary, then she can go into full panic mode, and in there she is uncontrollable. For example fireworks. She can handle 1, max 2 explosions, after that it's full ...
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Have a routine for my cat that wants to go out
Problem Description and Situation
I recently moved to a new apartment with my cats Moe (female) and Joe (male). They are brother and sister. It didn't take long for them to get used to it.
Moe started ...
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Am I making the stray cat uncomfortable with my touch?
Around a week ago, a stray cat transferred her kittens to my backyard. Since then I've been like feeding her max 4-5 biscuits (since my parents don't want her to grow too attached) and I just go stare ...
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Do dogs 'sigh out of contentment'?
Over the years, I have noticed with all of my dogs that after I have given some sweet talk and ear scratches, they will give out a long sigh.
I am hoping this is out of contentment. Is there any basis ...
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Adopted a 7 month old cat a day ago, today she is hissing and yowling in the safe room
My partner and I adopted a 7 month old cat yesterday, she seemed fine, we were in her safe room for a few hours at a time, and she was curious and played and explored just fine. No hissing, and only a ...
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How can I introduce my puppy to my boyfriend's dogs?
I recently moved in with my boyfriend and brought along my year-old intact male pup, and my boyfriend has four other dogs. Including his attentive, jealous German Shepherd, and I want my pup to get ...
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Making a cat less scared [closed]
My cat is a very sweet guy, and around a year old. He's very cuddly, but still gets scared by my wife and me around the house. There is no shortage of love that he receives, and we thought he would ...
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Hound/Retriever keeps escaping
I have a mix of Hound and Retriever who just wont stop escaping. Here is the story:
We got her from a rescue shelter about 3 years ago, and she was the only one that was laying down and kept quiet, so ...
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My cat will get mad at me for hours after getting medicine. How do I keep our relationship happy?
My senior cat has a chronic illness and needs to take a liquid medicine for the rest of her life to keep her healthy. While she's still largely happy and energetic now, if she doesn't get this ...
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What should I do to make my cat spend more time with us?
So we have a black cat, who is the son of a white female stray cat we used to feed.
We call the female cat Kuchi, and her son Gulu (9 months old).
Gulu was born inside our house, he is almost like our ...
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My dog claws at me when he wags his tail. Why does he do this?
My dog wags his tail and then paws me with his front paws and I am at a loss as to explain what he wants.
This rarely occurs while I eat, and usually occurs when I am doing normal things, like being ...
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Two male dogs: one neutered, one intact; they were fine until one was neutered, now he goes after intact male; will neutering other male help?
I have 3 dogs: a female Ellie (7 yrs), male Blake (2 yrs), and male Bosco (9 months). Blake was neutered a few months ago and since then has gone after Bosco completely unprovoked. Blake is half the ...
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Why does my dog lick her lips while being petted?
My dog (well, my landlord's technically) seems to love being petted, running to my bed when I first let her in my apartment where I usually pet her, and reaching her head towards me begging me to ...
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Why is my dog scared of me all of a sudden?
I have a mix of hound and retriever and she is the love of my life; we got her when she was about 1 year, maybe a few months old, and raised her up. However, she will all of a sudden just be scared ...
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My Cat is Licking Everything
My cat is around a year old and has had the same bed ever since we've gotten him. Lately, he has been licking the wood frame. I've also seen him lick the wood of his older toys and stuffed animals of ...
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Can dogs get bored of a walk?
I take my four-month-old puppy on about three walks per day. The walks are almost always a 15-20 minute loop starting at my house. It goes through several neighborhoods, a park, and on a waterfront ...
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What is the best way to deal with cat jealousy?
I have two cats, both 10 year old males, same litter. One has been recently diagnosed with small cell lymphoma (but is in remission and doing well); however, he's been getting extra attention from it ...
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Introducing a third cat into a two cat household
Last year, I adopted two Tabby sisters. They were seven months old at the time. They have settled in nicely, and play peacefully together. I have been approved for a third cat, which we have plenty of ...
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Is there anything more that I can do to make my dwarf hamsters more comfortable and happy?
I have three Russian dwarf hamsters that are almost 41/2 weeks old now. My sister purchased two hamsters that she thought were both females, but she realized they were not once she unexpectedly ...
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Is there hope cats will be friends after lukewarm start?
I have a one-year-old British Blue boy called Sausage. He is neutered and very calm, sweet, affectionate, and social. I had always planned to get him a companion as he gets along well with everyone ...
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Is it okay to keep a dog chained in a room at night with proper food and water?
I recently got two stray puppies. One puppy died because a stray dog had bitten him. We tried our best to save him, but unfortunately, he died. They used to sleep together in a separate room. Now ...
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How to teach my dog an once-taught, but now forgotten trick?
My dog knew how to give the leg and sit when the order was given, but I had gone to live elsewhere and she was left without anyone to play with her for some years because I was the only one who did ...
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Advice on my abused rescue cat
I am getting a rescue cat from a local charity, she is 3 to 4 years old and seems very affectionate in the videos. She has had a hard life so far, though, stolen and repeatedly bred, then booted out ...
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My cat is skittish and scared of my brother all of a sudden
Baggins is a two-year-old domestic short hair. I found him in the forestry near my house when he was only weeks old. He was starved and very nervous. It took a long time to build trust between us as ...
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My dog will not stop going potty in the house and will not rest at night
For background, I have a 2 year old Siberian Husky and she is the love of my life, we hike a lot and have another dog she plays with throughout the day PLUS daily walks and play time in our backyard.
...
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Will getting another cat change my cat's behavior?
I have a ~1.5 year old male tabby cat. I have had him since he was just 2 weeks old, when he was still basically blind and didn't yet know how to walk. I have raised him extremely lovingly and as a ...
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Why does my dog act normal when he is alone with me, but acts afraid when my wife is around?
He is a rescue dog that belongs to my wife, so I know he was abused and I know I am the the rule maker and my wife didn’t really have rules for him before, but he only acts scared of me when she is ...
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My Cat Meows at Me Every Morning
I wake up at 6:30 every morning and when I get out of bed, I hear an insane amount of meows. When I get into the shower, she sits right next to the tub and cries at me. I open the door so she can go ...
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How do I get my cat, who doesn't let me hold her, to the Vet? [duplicate]
My rescue will probably never let me hold her - no clue why - but how am I going to get her into her carrier and take her to the Vet? I'm a senior and live alone and she's 15lbs (7 kg). She is ...