Text/Chen Haoxing
Recently, Guoshijun got two new cats. Although the two cats are very healthy and well-behaved, they also have some abnormal behaviors.
They sometimes make strange noises and sometimes get into a ball. What's even more annoying is that they like to "parkour" at home at night, making the king unbearable.
So Guoshijun started looking for pet consulting services. After comparing with many parties, I chose a pet communication store with good reviews.
The pet communicator at this store said that you only need to pay 68 yuan to answer two questions, and 78 yuan to answer three questions. And just send them a picture or video of your pet, and they will analyze and translate it based on your pet’s performance in the video, as well as see what your cat is thinking.
Are pet communicators reliable?
In recent years, some pet owners are no longer satisfied with getting along with their pets. They want to have a deeper understanding of their pets' inner world. Some people try to understand pets by recording their behaviors, and the profession of pet psychology has become one of the emerging professions that attracts a lot of attention.
Screenshot of the reply from a pet communicator who placed an order on a shopping platform
Screenshot of reply from cat behavior therapist
Liu Lang, vice president of the Chinese Veterinary Association and secretary-general of the Beijing Small Animal Diagnosis and Treatment Industry Association, pointed out in an interview with China News Service that pet communicators on e-commerce platforms rely more on personal conjecture and subjective judgment and lack scientific knowledge. Based on and systematic training, there may be great subjective misleading.
"In contrast, through systematic learning and scientific research, pet behavior experts can more accurately interpret the reasons behind pet behavior and provide scientific and effective solutions, which are therefore more rigorous and reliable," Liu Lang said.
Zhang Li, deputy secretary-general of the Feline Branch of the Beijing Small Animal Diagnosis and Treatment Industry Association and a cat behavioral therapist at the United Animal Hospital with more than 3,000 cat behavioral diagnosis and treatment cases, pointed out in an interview with China News Service that animal behavior is very popular abroad. It is a mature subject with a history of nearly a hundred years and has been applied to pets for decades. The concept of pet behavior has been gradually introduced in China since the beginning of this century.
Zhang Li said that the theoretical basis for improving pet behavior is to observe the normal and abnormal behaviors of animals, find the real reasons behind their behaviors, and take appropriate methods to solve the abnormal problems of pets. In contrast, spiritual communication may be based on some kind of induction or frequency link, which is a different system from behavioral science.
Pet behavior analysis requires on-site inspection of the pet's living environment and understanding of their behavioral development history, rather than just relying on photos and video materials. It takes at least one hour to feel and observe the real living environment of pets, and understand their personality characteristics, life details and other information before a full evaluation can be carried out.
"If possible, home visits are the most ideal way. In this way, we can quickly collect relevant information, and communication between the two parties is easier. We can rely on our own feelings for analysis and avoid too many questions."
Learn about pet behavior
Zhang Li believes that as a relatively new discipline, pet behavior can play a positive role in promoting the recovery of pet diseases by observing and adjusting pet behavior and understanding pet needs, and can also solve some pet problems that cannot be improved in clinical diagnosis and treatment. Unusual behavior.
In some cases, conventional medical approaches may not resolve an animal's behavioral problem. For example, when an animal is in a state of fear or stress, doctors can only use medication, but cannot provide help in improving the environment or adjusting the pet's behavior. At this time, pet behavior is particularly important. It can help the animal quickly return to normal by adjusting the environment or changing the animal's behavior pattern.
Zhang Li gave an example. In a recent case, a cat showed mental self-injury behavior, which was similar to birds plucking its feathers, resulting in facial ulcers. The pet owner had previously sought help from several dermatologists, but they all pointed out that it was not a skin problem, but a behavioral issue. The trigger for this compulsive behavior is an itchy reaction caused by vaccine allergy.
"Through analysis, we found that the cat's own sensitive personality, coupled with the owner's anxiety, resulted in the cat's facial scratching behavior continuing to occur even though the cat's itching problem had long been resolved."
Pet trainers and cat behavior managers are still niche professions
At present, there are many learning channels for pet behavior in China, including domestic courses and courses provided by foreign websites or institutions. There are also various professional titles derived, such as behavior adjuster, behavior analyst, behavior modifier, behavior therapist, etc., but These professions are all designed to help pets behave well and improve misunderstandings in communication between humans and pets.
Although the profession of pet behavior analyst is becoming known to more people, it still faces problems such as small market size, imperfect industry standards, and unstable income.
Zhang Li said that the profession of pet behavior manager is still in the early stages of development and the market size is small. At present, most college students studying pet-related majors still tend to choose to become veterinarians or work in pharmaceutical companies in the pet industry, rather than focusing on pet behavior. Although about 100 people became certified as cat behavior managers last year, most of them do not do the job full-time but do it part-time or as part of other roles in the pet industry.
She mentioned that the current industry standards still need to be further improved, especially in terms of providing systematic courses. Although more and more people are interested in pet behavior, professional courses in this field are still relatively scarce. This has also led to unstable incomes for practitioners, with many unable to make it their main occupation.
"In terms of income, my charging standard is 1,000 yuan per hour. As for the industry average charging standard, it is about 500 yuan to 800 yuan." Zhang Li said.
Zhang Li also called on the competent authorities to provide certain support in professional certification. At present, certificates such as "Pet Training Instructor Professional Ability Evaluation Certificate" and "Cat Behavior Manager Certification Certificate" implement social level recognition and are recognized and inspected by the market and society. Although these certificates do not represent "admission qualifications" for a certain profession, they can still be used as an important reference for practitioners' professional capabilities.