It is important for all pet owners to be able to recognise their furry companions’ emotions. Being able to identify cat anxiety, fear, stress, hunger, joy and excitement is a part of caring for your cat. So this week, the Karingal Veterinary Hospital and Ballam Park Vet Clinic team have put together the four most common signs of a stressed out cat.
Aggression is your cat’s last resort when feeling stressed. Typically, a cat will first try to avoid the stressor, putting as much distance between it and themselves as possible. Only when backed into a corner or when under heightened stress will a cat resort to aggression.
Learn to recognise the warning signs that your cat is stressed, anxious or scared, to reduce the chances of them lashing out. Remember, cats are more likely to show aggression if they haven’t been desexed, so talk to one of our staff today about de-sexing your cat.
Avoiding or escaping stressful situations is often a cat’s first response. This is why most cats react negatively to being tightly gripped or held — their natural instinct is to be able to get away.
If you are noticing your cat is hiding at home, try to identify areas, people or situations they are avoiding. If your cat never follows you into the kitchen or laundry, it may be because the appliances in these rooms are too loud, or the cleaning products are too fragrant. To make these areas more cat-friendly, change your detergents to less pungent brands or spread a pheromone spray, such as Feliway, in anxiety-inducing areas.
If a cat cannot physically avoid a stressor, they may instead try to cope with it through showing anxious behaviours such as “fidgeting”. Pacing, excessive grooming or an inability to rest are all potential signs of cat stress. Excessive grooming, such as compulsive licking and scratching, can lead to lick granulomas and infections. Don’t punish your cat for being anxious or try to restrict its movements — this will only makes things worse. Instead, distract your cat with toys, games or puzzles.
The classic response of getting scared stiff, is as common in cats as it is in humans. Freezing like this often appears alongside hypervigilance, dilated pupils and hair standing on end. When shocked, freezing helps cats to analyse their environment. If your cat is freezing often, try to calm your environment, play your music less loudly, and adopt softer, gentler movements around your cat.
So there you have it! Those are four of the most common signs of cat anxiety. If you have a stressed out cat, are worried your pet is fighting, flighting, freezing or fidgeting, or displaying any of the symptoms in the visual below, contact us today to discuss stress relief for cats.
While you’re here, why not read some of our other cat help blog posts, on cat weight management and on common cat issues? Otherwise, join us next time when we discuss simple solutions for destressing your cat.
Until then, why not book your feline friend in for cat acupuncture? Pet acupuncture is a safe, holistic treatment with proven results in anxiety and wound management. Talk to one of your staff today to see if acupuncture is right for your pet.
And remember: cat care doesn’t end with vaccination and de-sexing. Your cat’s yearly vaccination doesn’t protect it from heartworm, ticks or fleas. Make sure you keep a regular medication schedule to protect your cat against these potentially deadly parasites. For an affordable, routine service that keeps track of your pet’s parasite prevention schedule, Karingal Veterinary Hospital and Ballam Park Vet Clinic recommend the post-based Parasite Prevention Program.