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Defensive aggression

These two cats feel the need to defend themselves if attacked. Notice that they are crouched, but the ears are pinned back and the pupils are dilated. These cats are also hissing and ready to bite if needed.

learned helplessness

In the past, these two cats would have been considered model cats in the hospital – you can do anything with these cats! However, this is learned helplessness and they are afraid. They will let you do anything you need to in the hope that you will just leave them alone. Their body is positioned to try to make themselves smaller. Ears are back but not pinned. Gaze is averted. The mental state of pets in learned helplessness is critical to understand. These pets have been exposed to repeated situations of fear and stress. This results in the pet believing that it can no longer save itself from this situation. This type of reaction may lead to unpredictable behavior in stressful situations.

This section was developed to help you identify body language in pets to better understand how they feel and why they react the way they do. By recognizing the signs, you can help the pets feel more comfortable in their environment and avoid situations that could result in harm to you or the pets you care for.