Page 144 - Zoo Animal Learning and Training

128 Tasks for the Veterinary Assistant

(a) (b)

(d)

(c)

FIGURE 8.12 Anxious, scared, or nervous cats. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Used under CC BY‐SA 3.0, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_
communication#/media/File:Siam_blue_point.jpg; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Surprised_cat.jpg; https://commons.wikimedia.
org/wiki/File:Abby_playing_in_basket.jpg; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cat_breeds#/media/File:Tiffanie_at_cat_show.jpg.

important to know that a fight may erupt, and you don’t docking or dewclaw removal is to be carried out it is best
want to be caught in the middle of a rumble! This is to take puppies to a back room, so the mother can’t hear
avoided or reduced by introducing animals with cages them. Excessive handling of newborn kittens can some-
close enough for the animals to smell and look at each times cause the mother to eat her young. Again, this is a
other but not to have physical contact with each other. defense mechanism, although we may think it is hor-
Sex drive in males can be an overpowering urge that rible. It is best to leave the family alone until the new-
can turn normally very docile animals into very aggres- borns open their eyes and ears and are becoming
sive animals if you are the one keeping them from their mobile.
target. Maternal instinct also has a very strong effect on
behavior, again even the most docile animal will become
aggressive if their offspring is being “attacked.” From a Reflection
human’s perspective this may be just a wish to pet the
youngster! Dogs, cats, and ferrets bear young that spend Think about all of the instinctual behaviors
the first few weeks of life blind, deaf and helpless, totally patients have: maternal instincts, territorial
dependent on their mother for survival. Mothers can be instincts, and sex drive. Why do these make such
defensive of their young and often get quite agitated an impact on how a patient may behave?
when their young vocalize. If procedures such as tail