From a veterinary perspective, this is rarely the case. Veterinary science teaches us that behavior is a form of communication.

Veterinary science has identified that conditions like (analogous to human OCD) correlate with specific genetic markers and structural abnormalities in the basal ganglia. Similarly, feline hyperesthesia syndrome—where a cat’s skin ripples and the animal becomes frantic—is now understood as a paroxysmal neurological event, not a behavioral "attitude problem."

(4) Bennett, D. (2017). Dog-human interactions: A study of the relationships between dogs and their owners. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 16, 34-41.

Ultimately, the marriage of animal behavior and veterinary science moves medicine from a reactive practice to a proactive one. It acknowledges that a healthy animal is not just one free of disease, but one that is and emotionally secure.