Have you ever seen your cat sleep with their head up and paws curled in towards them in the shape of a heart? You would think it’s a sweet position, but did you know they aren’t fully resting then? It is a sign of stress, and they are resting with (almost) one eye open. Only when a cat sleeps with paws stretched out (either to their side or up) are they fully relaxed and at peace.
Content:
- What Causes Stress in Cats and Why They Act “Off”
- How Cats Show Sadness, Anxiety, and Mood Changes
- Proven Stress Relief for Cats
- Conclusion
What Causes Stress in Cats and Why They Act “Off”
Cats are natural born hunters that love exploring the outdoors, even though they have been domesticated over many hundreds of years they were not originally designed to be kept indoors. You may think your cat has plenty of enrichment in and around your home but living indoors and using a plastic litter tray to do their business is very far removed from living in the wild.
As in humans, stress is your cat’s response to a threat that activates their flight or fight response. Some factors that can cause stress in your feline friend are:
- Another animal or person moving in or out of their home (such as a new baby)
- Stress among their humans (new job, exams, etc.)
- Construction in their home or nearby
- Moving to a new home
- Sudden change in weather
- New furniture
- Parents away often
- Too few litter trays in the home
The rule of thumb with cat litter trays are that you should have one per cat per household, plus one extra. Cats are clean animals and do not enjoy doing their business where there is already mess.
When a cat is stressed they often develop Feline Idiopathic Cystitis (FIC). FIC is known as a defect in the way cats handle stress.
Dr. W. Brooks says: “As humans get a “stress stomach”, cats can get a “stress bladder”, a recurring bladder upset from stress. Not every cat is susceptible to FIC; some cats are simply neurologically wired to have issues with how they handle stress.”
Symptoms commonly seen when a cat is suffering from a stressed bladder:
- Bloody urine
- Urinating in inappropriate places (such as your bed)
- Licking the urinary tract opening
- Straining to urinate
- Blockage of the urinary tract – no urine coming out at all
Stress can lead to minimal water being consumed, but luckily cats do love drinking from running water. Every home that has a cat should have a water fountain to encourage more water consumption, which in turn promotes bladder health. A stressed cat can easily develop a stressed bladder.
How Cats Show Sadness, Anxiety, and Mood Changes
Cats are well known for quick mood changes. One second they will be begging to be stroked and then the next they are in attack mode. Signs to look out for with an unhappy cat:
- Flicking of tail
- Twitching of ears
- Ears pulled back and flattened
- Ears pricked with one ear to the side
- Warning swat with ears pulled back (if ears are facing forward and rounded, they are playing)
- Growling
- Eyes open with wide pupils
- Drooping whiskers and ears can indicate that your cat is feeling depressed
In the article Happy cats: stress in cats and their carers associated with outpatient visits to the clinic it says: “The significance of the effects of stress in cats has been increasingly recognised in recent years, with stress affecting general well-being and potentially putting cats at increased risk of certain health problems, such as infectious diseases, feline lower urinary tract disease, and behavioural problems such as over-grooming and urination/defecation outside the litter box.”
Proven Stress Relief for Cats
There are many dangers in our outside world for free roaming cats, so I am not saying to let your cat roam near a busy highway. If your feline friend is mainly or completely an indoor cat, make his/her living area as stress free as possible. Such as:
- Multiple litter boxes frequently cleaned
- Litter boxes should be kept in a ‘private’ area
- Many hiding places
- High places to climb, cats don’t need much space but love climbing
- A good quality water fountain
- Scratching posts should be available
- Calming pheromone collars or diffusers designed to help stress relief in cats
- Own food and water bowls for each cat, out of reach of dogs and other pets
Abstract from the article Dealing with Stress in Cats: What is new about the olfactory strategy?: “Domestic cats are descended from solitary wild species and rely heavily on the olfaction system and chemical signals for daily activities. Cats kept as companion animals may experience stress due to a lack of predictability in their physical or social environment.”
Conclusion
A good indication to show if your cat is relaxed and happy is their ears. If their ears are facing forwards and rounded, they are feeling comfortable and little to no stress.
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