London - Crowded streets and small homes and gardens are increasingly making it a dog’s life for city cats.
In fact, many are suffering from stress because of the lack of space, according to cat behaviour expert John Bradshaw.
Some have the sort of skin and bladder problems usually found in humans under pressure, while others take to fighting.
Dr Bradshaw, of Bristol University’s veterinary school, warned that many of the problems were caused by owners not understanding that cats are solitary creatures.
He said: “They think the more cats the merrier – five cats good, six cats better. But the truth is that the more you have, the more the difficulties escalate.
“Two cats don’t have a party, they have a fight, then they have a stand-off, which can last until one dies.”
Chris Laurence, former director of the Feline Advisory Bureau, said cats appeared to operate a rota system in areas that were particularly crowded with other felines, with one only going out in the morning, so that it doesn’t bump into the neighbour’s cat, which explores in the afternoon.
Dr Bradshaw, who specialises in how people and animals interact, said vets were increasingly treating illnesses that seem to be triggered by stress, including eczema-like skin conditions and cystitis.
He said even owners with the best intentions did not realise how their pets were struggling to cope with the stresses of modern life, citing the arrival of cat cafes, in which customers can stroke a cat while having a coffee, as an example of poor understanding.
He added that cats simply have not been bred with the temperaments for city living, and claimed there was a ‘vociferous anti-cat lobby’ among city dwellers.
Unlike dogs, which have been bred over thousands of years to get along with their human owners, cats are still wild at heart. TV presenter and wildlife expert Chris Packham claims keeping cats indoors at night would halve deaths of wild animals in Britain. Some parts of Australia already have overnight curfews for cats.
But Dr Bradshaw said better breeding and training was needed, with cats bred to enjoy playing more than hunting or trained to spend more time indoors.
“Cats need our understanding as a species still in transition between the wild and truly domestic,” he added. “If we can support them, they will be assured a future in which they are not only popular and populous but also more relaxed and affectionate.” - Daily Mail