- Pets stress from divorce
- MX Express
- 23/02/2005 Make a Comment
- Contributed by: admin ( 47 articles in 2005 )
Children aren't the only innocent victims of a bitter divorce, psychologists have found. Cats and dogs also suffer from emotional trauma when their owners split up.
More than 60,000 pets a year are believed to experience "Master Separation Syndrome" after they pick up on the strain in the household. Their mental anguish manifests itself in a strange and unnatural behaviour.
Some pets start to act like upset children and refuse to eat. Others become aggressive without provocation and suddenly begin barking or meowing in the middle of the night.
A few experience obsessive compulsive behaviour, such as excessive scratching that can leave bald patches. Cats often stop using the litter tray.
"Dogs and cats are finely tuned to the emotions of their masters," pet psychologist Katrina Zurbanu said. "When things go wrong and their owners get upset, they suffer, too."
She said the problem was growing as more and more pets were kept indoors for long periods. "This means they become even more attached to their owner's well-being," she said.
"When something stressful like a divorce happens, the cat or dog will naturally get stressed, too." She said the best way to reduce the symptoms was to try to treat the pet the same way you did before divorce.
She said dogs and cats often became a bone of contention to a divorce case, with couples arguing over who should keep them. Some even arrange to share custody, having the pet on alternating weekends.
More than 60,000 pets a year are believed to experience "Master Separation Syndrome" after they pick up on the strain in the household. Their mental anguish manifests itself in a strange and unnatural behaviour.
Some pets start to act like upset children and refuse to eat. Others become aggressive without provocation and suddenly begin barking or meowing in the middle of the night.
A few experience obsessive compulsive behaviour, such as excessive scratching that can leave bald patches. Cats often stop using the litter tray.
"Dogs and cats are finely tuned to the emotions of their masters," pet psychologist Katrina Zurbanu said. "When things go wrong and their owners get upset, they suffer, too."
She said the problem was growing as more and more pets were kept indoors for long periods. "This means they become even more attached to their owner's well-being," she said.
"When something stressful like a divorce happens, the cat or dog will naturally get stressed, too." She said the best way to reduce the symptoms was to try to treat the pet the same way you did before divorce.
She said dogs and cats often became a bone of contention to a divorce case, with couples arguing over who should keep them. Some even arrange to share custody, having the pet on alternating weekends.
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