The abnormal behaviour gradually displaces normal behaviour and the actual behaviours change in qualitative features (intensity profile).īehaviours evinced as a result of feline “stress” or anxiety include changes in appetite (decrease or pica), changes in grooming, changes in elimination (spraying and non-spraying marking), changes in social interactions (rubbing, bunting, vocal communication), and changes in activity (degree and location). A competing stimulus may change or abort the behaviour but time spent in the activity gradually increases. Obsessive-compulsive behaviours interfere with the animal’s ability to function in its social environment. The role of stress (actual or perceived) has largely been ignored in veterinary medicine. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is probably responsible for some unknown proportion of companion animal behavioural conditions.
Is the behaviour simply excessive or is it a manifestation of an obsessive-compulsive disorder? It is also possible that an excessive behaviour and an obsessive-compulsive behaviour are merely two points on a blurry continuum. Separate from the obsession issue is the issue of relative intensity. It appears that animals perceive concern and anxiety, thus it is possible that they can obsess. Considerable discussion occurs when the question “can animals obsess?” is raised.
Stereotypies and obsessive-compulsive disorders are currently used interchangeably in the behavioural literature by some authors, whereas others refer to them as stereotypies, and finally, a few do not allude to either term. In veterinary medicine, the term stereotypy has been used traditionally to define behaviours that are repetitive, constant, and appear to serve no obvious purpose.
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