pets behaving badly

Broken routine and emotional upheaval

Published:

IT SEEMS our relationship with our pets is more complex than we thought. They say the cause of dogs and cats behaving badly can often be traced back to their owners.

Now, an animal charity has revealed that extreme emotional upheaval, such as when couples break up, can trigger obsessive and compulsive disorders in their pets, who suffer in the same way as young children. Most pets like a peaceful life, full of familiar and reassuring daily routines such as eating, sleeping and playing, but if their owners are fighting like cats and dogs, then perhaps it is no surprise.