Is Your Pet Acting Differently? 3 Questions to Ask | Pet Parent Power Up

Host: Amy Castro

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Transcript Note

This transcript has been lightly edited for grammar, clarity, and readability while preserving the meaning and conversational style of the original recording.

TRANSCRIPT

Amy Castro (00:00)

So, in this month’s Pet Parent Power Up, I’m going to do something a little different. I’m recording this one pretty much on the fly, without the usual music at the beginning and a bunch of editing, because there’s something I wanted to follow up on from Sunday’s episode while it is still fresh in my mind.

On Sunday, I talked about paying attention to the individual pet in front of you instead of assuming all of your pets need the same thing. But there’s another part of that conversation that I think is worth talking about, because noticing something is only the first step.

What do you do when you notice that your pet is doing something differently?

Maybe your dog suddenly doesn’t want to jump up into the car, or maybe your cat is sleeping somewhere different. Maybe your pet seems less interested in a toy that they used to love, wants more attention, or has started avoiding things that never seemed to bother them or scare them before.

The question is: Is this just a preference? Is it a normal change as your pet gets older or matures? Or is it something you should be concerned about?

That’s what I want to help you sort through in today’s Pet Parent Power Up.

And just to be clear, this isn’t about diagnosing your pet at home. If you’re worried enough about something, certainly call your veterinarian. This is really about helping you notice patterns and decide when a change deserves a closer look.

So when you notice something different, I want you to ask yourself three questions.

The first question is: Is this actually new?

That sounds obvious, but sometimes it isn’t.

You may suddenly notice that your cat prefers sleeping under the bed, but when you really think about it, they’ve been doing that for a couple of months. Or maybe your dog has never particularly liked long walks, but you’ve always assumed that they should because they’re a dog.

There’s a big difference between discovering something about your pet’s personality and really noticing an actual behavior change.

So before you decide something is wrong, think about what the baseline was. What is normal for this particular animal?

Not what is normal for the breed, not what was normal for the last dog you had, or what your friend’s cat does. What is normal for your specific pet?

The second question is: Is it happening consistently?

You know, we all have weird days, right? So one weird day usually doesn’t tell you very much.

Pets sometimes get tired or distracted or overstimulated or bored, or maybe they’re just having a particular day where they’re less interested in playing and more interested in sleeping, kind of like I feel today.

But if you start seeing something over and over again, that’s more meaningful.

If your dog hesitates before using the stairs once, maybe nothing is going on. But if you notice that same hesitation every day for a week, now you’ve got a pattern.

If your cat skips breakfast once but eats normally the rest of the day, that’s very different from consistently eating less.

Patterns give you much better information than isolated moments.

And the third question is: Is this change interfering with something your pet normally does or wants to do?

That’s probably the question that I find most useful for me.

Maybe your dog has simply decided that sleeping on the rug is more comfortable or preferable to sleeping in the expensive bed that you bought. That’s fine. That’s probably just a preference.

But if your dog wants to get onto the couch and keeps trying to, but they can’t get up there anymore, that’s something different.

Or maybe your cat has discovered a new favorite place to sleep on the first floor. No problem.

But if they used to spend half the day upstairs and now never use the stairs at all, I think I’d want to know why.

There’s a difference between choosing not to do something and wanting to do something but having difficulty doing it. I think that distinction really matters.

And you can use the same idea with their social behavior.

Maybe you’ve always had a pet that preferred a little bit of personal space, and that’s just who they are. But if your normally social dog starts leaving the room when people come in, or your cat who always sleeps next to you suddenly starts hiding most of the day, I think that change really deserves some attention.

And it doesn’t automatically mean there’s a medical issue.

Changes in our routine, like I’m going through right now with a move, stress, new people or new pets, construction or noise in your home, and plenty of other things can affect our animals’ behavior.

The point is that behavior gives you information, and sometimes we miss the information because we write it off too quickly.

We say, “She’s just getting older,” or, “They’re just adapting to the move,” or, “They’re being stubborn,” or, “That cat’s always been weird.”

But maybe getting old isn’t really an explanation by itself, or the fact that we just moved isn’t an explanation by itself.

Aging, for example, can absolutely change what our pets do and what they seem to enjoy. But aging can also make certain medical problems more likely.

So if your senior pet suddenly stops doing something that they’ve done comfortably for years, it’s definitely worth asking whether they simply don’t want to do it anymore or whether something has become uncomfortable or painful.

This is also where taking a quick video can be super useful, not only for you, but for your vet.

If your dog is walking differently or struggling with the stairs or hesitating before jumping up, maybe they’re coughing more than usual or doing something else that’s odd that may not happen once you get to the vet. So try to record it when you can do that.

You don’t have to describe it perfectly if you can show your vet exactly what you’re seeing.

And if you’re noticing a pattern, make a quick note about when it happens. Is it mostly in the morning? Is it after exercising? Is it before or after meals?

Those little details can help you figure out whether you’re looking at a preference, an environmental issue, or something that might need professional attention.

So the next time you catch yourself thinking, “Hmm, that’s different,” don’t immediately panic, but don’t automatically dismiss it either.

Ask yourself:

Is this new for my pet?

Is it happening consistently?

And is it interfering with something that they normally want to do or need to do?

If the answer to those three questions is yes, I would pay attention to that.

And if you notice significant changes in appetite, drinking, bathroom habits, breathing, mobility, obvious behavior changes or pain, or anything else that really concerns you, contact your vet rather than waiting to see if it goes away.

The goal here is not to turn every pet parent into a detective looking for something wrong or make you paranoid. It’s really the opposite.

When you know your pet’s normal, you’re much better equipped to recognize when something truly changes.

And that brings us back to Sunday’s episode.

Treating our pets as individuals isn’t just about figuring out who wants longer walks or who likes the softer bed. It also means learning what normal looks like for each pet so you can recognize when their needs start to change.

So that’s this month’s Pet Parent Power Up, recorded a little more casually than usual, but hopefully just as useful.

Pay attention to the changes, look for those patterns, and when you’re not sure what they mean, ask rather than assume.

Until next time, keep an eye on your pets and help them live their best life so that you can all live your best life together.