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Short Communication

Feline behaviour problems in Brazil: a

review of 155 referral cases
Daniela Ramos ‍ ‍ ,1 Archivaldo Reche-Junior,1 Yumi Hirai,1 Daniel S Mills2

Abstract
Background  Geographical variations in feline behaviour problems exist. The occurrence of feline behaviour
problems in different regions are therefore important to prepare professionals for the emerging needs of cat
owners.
Methods  One-hundred and fifty-five feline behaviour cases that were referred to a veterinary behaviourist in São
Paulo (Brazil) during the period 2008–2014 are described.
Results  Inter-cat aggression was the main behavioural complaint reported (31%), followed by housesoiling
(26.4%). Unlike other international studies, inter-cat aggression was more frequently seen than inappropriate
elimination. Oral repetitive behaviours, including problems such as psychogenic alopecia and pica, were also a
prevalent problem (ie, 16.8% of the cases). Human-directed aggression accounted for 13.5% of the cases, taking
fourth place in the list of the most common feline behavioural problems. Female and male cats were equally
likely to be presented (51% and 49% of cases, respectively).
Conclusions  This study highlights potentially geographical or temporal variation in the behavioural problems
that need to be recognised by veterinary behaviourists in order to meet the emerging needs of owners.

Unlike dogs, reports concerning the prevalence of
feline behaviour problems are much less common,
perhaps because they typically make up a smaller
proportion of the caseload of veterinary behaviour
professionals. For example, in their review of canine
cases seen over a 10-year period, Bamberger and
Houpt1 report on 1644 cases, while their similar review
of cat cases contains only 736 cases.2 Brazil has the
second largest population of pet cats worldwide (there
are approximately 22.1 million cats and 52.2 million
dogs with 17.7% of Brazilian households having at
least one cat—IBGE3), but feline behavioural medicine
is a very recent form of veterinary practice and little is
known about cat behavioral problems in this country.
From the standpoint of the cats, even though they
may seem to be quite well adapted to everyday life
in modern Brazil with increasingly more Brazilians
acquiring cats every year, they appear to face behaviour
Veterinary Record (2019) doi:10.1136/ vetrec-2019-105462
1
Faculdade de Medicina Veterinaria e Provenance and peer review  Not
Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, commissioned; externally peer
São Paulo, Brazil reviewed.
2
Department of Biological Sciences,
University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK Received March 13, 2019
E-mail for correspondence: Dr Daniela
Revised July 23, 2019
Accepted September 18, 2019
Ramos;
​daniela.​ramos@​psicovet.​com.​br
copyright.
and welfare challenges, including the frequent
manifestation of signs of emotional distress.4 5 Souza-
Dantas et al6 found that 91% of the general veterinary
practitioners operating in these Brazilian university
veterinary hospitals had encountered cat owners with
behavioural complaints.6 Inappropriate urination in
the form of either urine spraying or latrine behaviour
(34.8%) and excessive scratching (28.3%) were the
most common complaints. A similar result was found
by Fatjó et al7 in their survey of general clinics in
Spain. However, as seen in Spain,7 8 the prevalence of
cases seen may differ between general practitioners
and veterinary behaviour professionals in Brazil.
Cases seen by behaviour experts probably reflect
those that practitioners find most challenging and/
or have greatest impact on the owner’s family and
immediate associates, thereby causing them to seek
specialised help.
The present study aimed to identify the reasons
behind the referral of cats to a veterinary behaviourist
in Brazil as well as the characteristics of these cats. As
such, it represents a point sample in an increasingly
important geographic region of the world in relation to
cat management.
A total of 155 cases of feline behaviour, referred to
a veterinarian behaviourist (DR, under the supervision
of DSM and AR-J) in the city of São Paulo (Brazil)
during a 6-year period (2008 to 2014), are described.

Vet RecorD |  1

Behavioural consultations were usually held in the
residence of the cat owners and data relating to the
cat’s sex, age, breed, reproductive status (ie, intact or
neutered) and main behavioural complaint leading
to referral as reported by the owners were recorded.
Secondary behavioural complaints from the case were
not considered in the calculation of the prevalence
of behavioural problems. In the case of inter-cat
aggression, the data from all cats involved were
considered. Owners provided their permission for use
of the data.
Of the 155 feline behavioural cases, 145 provided
complete data on gender, breed, age and sexual
status relating to a total of 217 cats (49.3% males and
50.7% females). The 10 remaining cases (all inter-cat
aggression) were not analysed beyond the behavioural
complaint given their missing files.
The age of cats presenting varied from 3 months to
19 years, with an average of 4.8 years (median 4 years).
In total, 14.8% were purebred pedigree cats (ie, 12 were
Persian, 6 Siamese, 4 Ragdoll, 5 Maine Coon, 2 Bengal,
2 Birman and 1 Savannah) while 85.2% were mixed-
bred cats. Ninety-five per cent of the cats were neutered.
Feline aggression was the most commonly reported
behavioural complaint, representing 44.5% of the cases
(69/155). These included inter-cat aggression (48/155,
31%) and aggression towards people (21/155, 13.5%)
in a roughly 2:1 ratio. The second most common
problem (41/155, 26.5%) was housesoiling (latrining:
29/155, 18.7%; spraying: 10/155, 6.5%; middening:
2/155, 1.3%), followed by (13/155, 8.4%) repetitive
non-medical self-licking (psychogenic alopecia) and
(13/155, 8.4%) ingestion of non-food items (pica) (see
table 1).
Other behavioural problems represented 12.2% of
the cases (19/155): two cases of inappropriate sexual
behaviour, four cases of destruction of furniture by
biting and/or scratching, four cases of fear/phobia, one
case of chronic psychogenic vomiting, three cases of
excessive vocalisation, three cases of problematic cat
interaction with resident dogs, one case in which the
owner sought guidance for preparing the cat to move
Table 1  Description of feline behavioural complaints from 155 referral
cases
Behavioural complaint % of cases
Feline aggression (n=69 cases) 44.50
 Inter-cat aggression 31
 Human-directed aggression 13.50
Housesoiling (n=41 cases) 26.5
 Latrining 18.70
 Spraying 6.50
 Middening 1.30
Repetitive behaviour (n=26 cases) 16.80
 Self-licking 8.4
 Pica 8.4
Other (n=19 cases) 12.20
2  | Vet Record
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and adapt to a new house, and one case of uncontrolled
behaviour/overactivity (see table 1).
This is the first report of the most common feline
behavioural cases seen by a veterinary behaviourist in
Brazil and, as such, it may reflect the aspects of feline
behaviour that has the greatest impact on humans
because it drives them to search for specialised help.
Consistent with the previous professional feline
caseloads described in international surveys,2 8–10
inter-cat aggression and inappropriate elimination were
the two most frequently encountered problems, but only
in the caseload of Amat et al8 did inter-cat aggression
exceed inappropriate elimination. By contrast, Fatjó et
al7 identified problems such as scratching and excessive
vocalisation to be more common than inter-cat
aggression, as did Souza-Dantas et al6 in Brazil.
However, these latter two surveys were based on the
cases seen in general clinics rather than by behavioural
professionals. It is worth noting that inappropriate
elimination is the most commonly seen problem in
Fatjó et al7 and Souza-Dantas et al6 and a common issue
for referral practice too, suggesting that this is very
much a problem which all veterinarians should be able
to manage.
There was an unusual, high prevalence of oral
repetitive behaviours reported in the current caseload,
represented by cases of pica (ie, ingestion of non-food
copyright.
items) and excessive licking accompanied by alopecia,
representing 16.8% of the cases. This contrasts with
the findings of studies conducted in countries like
USA, Canada, UK and Spain,2 8–10 but it is in line with
the result found by the case study in Australia.10
Human-directed aggression was fourth on the list
of the common feline complaints in the present study.
Although not on the top of the list, which is in agreement
with other surveys,2 8–10 the significance of the problem
should not be underestimated. Ramos and Mills4
found that human-directed aggression is a much more
common problem than the case prevalence indicates (ie,
approximately 50% prevalence), suggesting Brazilian
cat owners may act with resignation in relation to their
cats attacking them.
Fears and phobias, inappropriate sexual behaviour,
destructive behaviour, excessive vocalisation, conflicts
with dogs and psychogenic vomiting (diagnosis based
on a complete medical work-up) were less commonly
seen. Along with a single case considered to be
‘preventive’ (guidance on how to change residence
with a cat), they amounted to 12% (19/155) of cases.
It is possible that all of these represent less troubling
problems for pet owners or simply problems for which
advice is sought elsewhere by owners.
In conclusion, this study reinforces the difference
in the type of cases seen by behaviour professionals
versus general practitioner and between countries.
It cannot be excluded, however, possible ownership
changes over time that could explain at least in part

differences comparing the less recent caseloads with
the one presented here. It is clear that there is a need
for training in feline behaviour–related issues for
general veterinary practitioners, but this training
should focus on the need in the given country and not
be biased by the different prevalence of cases seen by
professionals who may be providing this training.
Acknowledgements  We would like to thank FAPESP and CAPES for providing
research scholarships for the first author during the period this study was undertaken.
Besides, we would like to thank all owners and their cats.
Funding  This study was funded by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado
de São Paulo (http://​dx.d​ oi.​org/​10.​13039/​501100001807) and Coordenação
de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (http://​dx.​doi.​org/​10.​13039/​
501100002322).
Competing interests  None declared.
Data availability statement  All data relevant to the study are included in the
article.
© British Veterinary Association 2019. No commercial re-use. See rights and
permissions. Published by BMJ.
ORCID iD
Daniela Ramos http://​orcid.​org/​0000-​0002-​2564-​9055
Vet RecorD | 
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