Top 5 behavioural challenges in cats and dogs

Top 5 behavioural challenges in cats and dogs

25/03/2025

Our furry friends express themselves in many ways and it is not always easy to identify the root cause of some of their more challenging behaviours. 

It is important to remember that like humans, animal behaviour can be related to health and wellbeing issues that are often not apparent to an untrained owner.  This is when the services of an animal behaviourist, working with your vet, might be required to provide support.  They can help by: 

  • Identifying any underlying issue that might trigger a behaviour – this could be a health issue or a stressful situation that is not obvious to us pet parents. 
  • Collaborate with you to create a plan to effect a change in behaviour.
  • Explore your feedback on how the plan is working and suggest changes as needed. 

Each animal is different, with their own personalities – some are more complex than others! 

Here's what we think are the top 5 challenging behaviours of both cats and dogs. 

Common Behavioural Issues in Cats

  1. Stress and Anxiety: Cats often exhibit stress through behaviours like excessive grooming, hiding, and changes in feeding or toileting habits. Stress can be triggered by environmental changes, such as new pets or people in the home.
  2. Urine Marking: This is a common issue, often linked to stress or territorial marking. It can be exacerbated by multi-cat households or external threats.
  3. Aggression: Aggressive behaviour can arise from stress, pain, or fear. It may manifest as redirected aggression towards people or other pets.
  4. Inappropriate Elimination: Cats may avoid the litter box due to stress, medical issues, or dislike of the litter box environment.
  5. Scratching and Chewing: While natural behaviours, they can become problematic if directed at furniture or inappropriate items.

Common Behavioural Issues in Dogs

  1. Separation Anxiety: Dogs can experience distress when left alone, leading to destructive behaviour or excessive barking.
  2. Reactivity: Reactivity to people, other dogs, or noises which can result in barking or aggression.
  3. Aggression: Aggressive behaviour is a significant concern, linked to fear, or anxiety.
  4. Pulling on the Lead and Recall Issues: Many dogs struggle with walking on a lead and responding to recall commands.
  5. Destructive Behaviour: Dogs may engage in destructive chewing or digging due to boredom, anxiety, or excess energy.

What can you do about behavioural issues?

Both cats and dogs benefit from consistent training, socialisation, and a stress-free environment to mitigate these behavioural issues. Consulting your vet to check for underlying health issues is an important first step. If your pet is healthy, you could then engage a certified animal behaviourist to provide tailored advice to help you and your pet address their specific problems.

It is also important to check the small print in the pet insurance policy you buy for your cat or dog to check if support to correct their behaviour issues is covered, and to check their behaviours won’t exclude them from cover. For example, some insurers do not cover dogs that have displayed aggression.