Talking Cats and Dogs with a Veterinary Behaviorist - with Dr. Hagar Hauser

Veterinary Behavorist Dr. Hagar Hauser joined me for a deeper look into some of the more common behavioral problems between cats and dogs she sees come into the clinic and ways to address them. We also talked about her own adventures fostering kittens with her dog, Ronnie.

Key Moments:

[00:41] Guest Introduction

[02:55] Icebreaker: Two truths and a lie

[05:10] Introduction to Dr. Hauser’s pet household: Ronnie the dog and the new kittens, Bean and Bamba

[05:46] The foster kittens that became part of the family

[06:35] Setting up the house for a litter of foster kittens

[08:43] Ronnie’s first reactions and interactions with the kittens

[11:21] Using alternatives to food-based rewards for overexcited Ronnie

[12:04] Introducing Bean and Bamba to Ronnie after initial separation-based setup

[12:57] Assessing acceptable levels of stress for Ronnie

[14:57] Importance of knowing and establishing baseline cues and behavior

[16:04] A history of Ronnie’s negative behaviors and foundational training

[17:01] Knowing baseline behaviors outside of interactions with other household pets

[17:35] Ronnie’s reactions to cats outside of the home: high prey drive

[20:23] Differences in behavior inside and outside the house

[21:09] Animal backgrounds informing future behaviors

[22:40] When human intervention is necessary

[22:49] Dogs and cats communicate differently

[24:05} Training cats as well as dogs is important

[24:20] Redirecting behavior and cues

[26:15] Consistency in cues from the start

[27:42] Explaining the importance of behavior and interactions between animals during veterinary treatment

[28:48] Trigger stacking

[31:53] Making necessary separation a positive experience for everyone

[34:37] Medication and behavioral training for cats

[35:22] Three main goals of medication

[36:48] Difference in expressions of stress

[37:57] Ways to work through cat separation distress

[39:52] The difference in behavioral diagnoses between dogs and cats

[41:29] Tips for managing pets who both have separation distress but need to be separated from each other

Resources We Mentioned:

Cat separation anxiety papers by Dr. Schwatz

Understanding and treating separation anxiety syndrome in cats

Dr. Hauser's Contact Info:

Email: hhauser@metro-vet.com

Naomi’s Contact Info:

Instagram: @praiseworthypets

Website: praiseworthypets.com