Stress is something that we deal with on a daily basis. It’s not fun doing so, but we can manage.
Unfortunately, it’s not just us who can experience the ill effects of stress. Our pets are susceptible to them too.
That’s right. Even your quiet cat who is seemingly just relaxing all the time may be feeling stressed at the moment.
You can miss the signs easily if you don’t know what you’re looking for.
In this article, we’ll talk about the signs of a stressed cat, why he/she may be feeling that way, and what you can do to help.
Why Your Cat Might Be Stressed
Let’s begin by highlighting the potential causes of feline stress.
According to Purina, changes to the home environment can contribute to your cat’s stress level. Whether you’ve added a new pet or lost an old one, that event can have a huge impact on your cat.
Moving to a new home or even just making repairs in your current one can also stress your cat. That’s understandable since the environment they’ve grown comfortable with has changed.
Take note of the weather as well. Extreme weather can make you cat very uncomfortable.
The Indicators of a Stressed Cat
If your cat has recently experienced any of the potentially stress-inducing events above, it’s time to check for stress indicators.
One troubling sign is increased aggression. A normally docile cat can become aggressive and confrontational due to stress.
If your cat recently urinated outside of his/her litter box, you should also consider that as a troubling sign. According to PetMD, this could be your cat’s way of telling you that he/she is not comfortable with the new look and feel of his/her home environment.
It’s also a bad sign if your cat is not eating as much. He/she may be so stressed with the things going on that even enjoying eating has become more difficult.
Also, if you’ve noticed that your cat is choosing to be alone more often, he/she may be experiencing high levels of stress.
How You Can Help Your Stressed Cat
After discovering that your cat is currently feeling stressed, it’s time for you to take action.
One of the best things you can do is to spend more playtime with your cat. Encourage him/her to participate in his/her favorite games. Doing this will show your cat that it’s okay to relax and have fun again even though things are different.
You can also try to keep your stressed cat away from the other furry residents of your home for a little while. Just give him/her some time to adjust the new surroundings. This should also help your cat feel more comfortable.
If those things still aren’t working, go ahead and schedule a visit to the vet. Sometimes, an undiagnosed illness can be the reason why a cat is feeling stressed. A trip to the vet should help get rid of that problem.
Stress can affect everyone, even your pets. Thankfully, we don’t have to just stay on standby and watch them suffer. You can look for the signs of stress yourself and proceed to do things that will help your cat feel better.
TAILored Cat Services’ professional cat sitters will help keep your cats relaxed when you are at work or on vacation. We will keenly watch out for any indicators of stress and let you know right away if something’s amiss. To learn more about the ways we can help your cat, please call/text us at 425-923-7791 or watch our video on our home page.
Recent Comments