Cats can help with our stress, but how do we help with theirs? Here is a Guest Blog Post about keeping our cats stress free.
By Diane Keaton
No one is immune to stress, not even pets.
Just because cats are just a bit quieter about their misery than dogs are, it doesn’t mean they are not just as stressed and upset. Since sometimes it can be difficult to notice if your cat is unhappy, you must pay very close attention to their normal behavior, in order to notice if there are any strange changes.
The phrase “curiosity killed the cat” isn’t out there without a reason. Cats are typically natural explorers, conquering every nook and cranny in your household. If your cat is displaying no interest in exploring the house, it means there is a serious reason for you to be concerned. Also, if your cat is not eating just as much as it used to, or is hiding away for long stretches or compulsively grooming, you better start paying attention. Besides these behavioral strangeness, your cat might also start to manifest physical symptoms of the stress, such as intestinal upset, alopecia, pica and feline hyperesthesia.
Find the cause of the stress
The best way to begin dealing with your cat’s stress is to find its root, why the stress exists in the first place. This might not be obvious at first, but usually the signs are there if you start looking for them. Have you moved recently? Have you changed something in the house, maybe your furniture and your cat dislikes a particular piece? Or perhaps your cat is not getting along with your new pet? While dogs are stressed by separation from their owners, cats are more likely to be triggered by novelty or over-stimulation. This is an important sign to remember when you can’t seem to think of an obvious cause for your cat’s misery. It is likely that your cat might be feeling overwhelmed by something or someone and needs some space and quiet time in order to relax.
Make some changes
Once you have an idea of what could be the cause of the stress, you can start to make some changes. If the reason is some piece of furniture that disturbs your pet, maybe you should think about removing it, or at least place it somewhere else. If your cat is not getting along with your new pet, you could think about keeping them in different rooms, and then slowly reintroduce them to one another by switching their rooms so they get used to the other one’s scent. Then slowly reintroduce them to one another.
If your cat seems depressed and lost his appetite or his exploratory instincts, you could provide him with different forms of distractions, such as toys or simulated prey. To encourage the return of the exploratory instincts you could start hiding the food so he can amuse himself by looking for it.
Lavender is also known to have a soothing effect on cats, so spraying this scent around the house could encourage tranquility.
Remember it’s up to you to keep your calm Zen and happy, so when you bring a kitten home, it is essential to introduce it to all the stimuli the kitten will face in the new environment. Make sure this introduction is a positive one, you definitely don’t want your kitten’s first day in your home to go down in history as a traumatic one.
About the Author
Diane is a life-long cat lover and a seasoned cat owner, currently taking care of only 2 cats, which gives her more than enough trouble. She tries to educate fellow cat lovers about the benefits of litter boxes at her Cat Litter Box website, and can be found on Google+.