Stress in Cats

Picture: Mikhail Vasilyev on Unsplash

Cats are very sensitive creatures that react to many different influences. In this article you will find out what these are and how you can give your cat relaxation.

Signs of stress in cats

Sometimes owners don't even notice that their cat is showing signs of stress, or don´t know when there is a need for action. Actually both questions cannot be answered in general, as they depend heavily on the individual animal and also on age and other factors. A young and healthy animal can easily go a day without eating (even if it shouldn't), but this is far more serious for an older and perhaps chronically ill or overweight animal.

The most common signs of chronic stress include:

• Loss of appetite
• Frequent vomiting, often immediately after eating
• Salivate
• Constant hiding
• Urinating in unusual spots
• Aggression towards other pets and/or people
• Constant scratching and licking themselves
• Strong vocalizations such as growls
• Reluctance to play

Stressors

Our beloved house cats are often grumpy for no apparent reason. The smallest changes in their environment are often enough to throw cats off balance.

The most common causes include:

• A new cat in the household
• A new pet in the household
• A new human family member
• Relocation
• Feed change too abruptly
• Too few litter boxes
• Surgery or ongoing medical treatment
• Persistent pain, itching or nausea
• Lack of variety or interaction with conspecifics and/or humans
• New detergent, cleaning agent or perfume

Finding the cause

As already mentioned, the reason for your pet's stress is often not immediately apparent. In the event that neither animal nor human family members have moved in or a move has taken place, you should ask yourself the following questions and take the following measures.

• When was the last veterinary examination/blood test? Were there any conspicuous findings that have not yet been investigated?
• Have you changed your cat's food lately?
• Did you use a new/different cleaning agent?
• Are you or someone else in your household using a new perfume?
• When was the last time you played with your cat?

There is a need for immediate action, especially if there is a suspicion of a medical reason for the change in behavior of your pet. Because severe pain or nausea may be the underlying cause.

Remedy

There are many different ways to help your pet get some rest. As long as there is no medical reason, you can try different approaches.

These include, for example:

• If you haven't already, give your cat a quiet retreat
• Try to play with your pet every day
• If she wants, feel free to cuddle with her in a quiet place
• Set up at least one extra litter box
• Clean all toilets daily
• Contacting a behavioral veterinarian

You can find a list of herbal variants here.

What also works really well to alleviate stress in cats is Catnip as well as snacks that they love eating. You can find the best and healthiest of them all in our product catalog.