“The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken” – Anonymous
How true this quote is, not only for humans, but for our pets as well. It is said that cats, more than any other household pet, desire routine. Many situations stress cats. As loving pet owners, it is our job to understand the things that may stress our cats and know how to prevent or remedy stressful situations.
First, stress can be produced by environmental circumstances. Changes in feeding schedules, play time, introducing a new pet into the home, and the amount of company visiting you can all cause cats to experience stress.
Second, our pets experience emotions, some of which are stressful. For instance, fear, jealousy, and boredom are stressful emotions for cats.
Third, the state of a cat’s physical body may stress him or her. If your feline is sick, it stresses her. If your feline is wounded or obese, she experiences stress. Worms and fleas also make your cat feel distressed. Finally, surgical procedures are stressful for cats.
Signs of stress vary widely. Stressed cats may eat more or less than usual, sleep more or less than they normally do, stop grooming themselves or bathe excessively, relieving themselves outside the litter box, become aggressive, bite, or exhibit pica, eating inedible objects. However, because many of these sign may also indicate illness or infection in your feline, you should speak with your veterinarian regarding your cat’s symptoms. Please see my article Is My Cat Sick for more information on signs and symptoms of cats who may be ill.
In order to remedy the situation, you must first determine the cause of your cat’s stress. Talk with your veterinarian about your feline’s symptoms to determine if illness may be present. If illness is not stressing your furry friend, the cause may be emotional or environmental.
If you think your furry friend may be bored, provide her with more stimulation. Consider playing the radio or television when you are gone. Spend more time playing with your feline. Consider adopting another cat so that your feline will have a friend to reduce her boredom. Purchase your cat interactive toys.
Sometimes cats in multi-pet households can become jealous of the other pets within the home. If this is the case, consider spending more time playing with the jealous cat individually. Give her a lot of attention.
Oftentimes, felines do not adapt well to another cat being introduced into the home. Adopting a new cat is an exciting time for pet owners, but a stressful time for felines already within the home. Thus, it is important that you introduce the new cat gradually to the old cat. Put the new cat in a separate, closed room. Feed your cats on either side of the door so that they can smell one another. Once they are comfortable eating on opposite sides of the door, bring the new cat out of the room in a pet carrier. Allow your old cat to smell the new feline in the carrier while you supervise. Progress to taking the cat out of the carrier for short periods of time while you supervise the interaction. Increase the amount of time your cats spend together as they become more comfortable with one another. Introducing a new cat into the household may take several weeks. Introducing the new cat gradually to the household will reduce stress for all pets involved.
Moving is stressful on pets and owners. Because you may not be able to eliminate this stressor, it is essential you keep your cat’s schedule as routine as possible amidst change. Keep your cat on her usual feeding and ply schedules.
Cats are easily stressed. Knowing the indicators of stress as well as the causes of stress will help you prevent and/or remedy stressful situations for your feline.
