Anxiety and stress are something that can hit any living being whether it is a human, fish, elephant or a cat. But dealing with it can become difficult without external help. Reasons for anxiety can be different and its occurrence is very normal. So if you think that your cat’s behavior has changed or if it looks stressed to you then there are many behavior specialists whose work is to identify anxiety and stress in cats and find out ways to deal with it.
Cats can sometimes feel alone or bummed out if they get separated or stay away for a long time from their owners. Or sometimes they can feel stressed because of health issues. If your cat is sick then it is more likely that it will feel anxious all the time. The hardest part is figuring out the reason and that’s why consulting a veterinarian is a good option. But still, there are ways in which you can find out the symptoms of stress and anxiety in a cat before going to a vet.
Have you ever noticed your cat howling, scratching, clinging to you or even hiding somewhere when you reach the front door of your house? This may be one of the symptoms that show that your cat is stressed. There are other reasons like if another cat or animal intrudes in the cat’s territory then to show stress and anxiety, it will mark the territory with its urine. The urine can be anywhere, whether it is outside the cat litter box or at the doors or even windows. This shows insecurity in cats which can lead to anxiousness. If your surroundings have a lot of stray cats or dogs, then your cat is more likely to be suffering from anxiety and fear.
When the anxiety and stress level is high, then it can become a real problem because at that time your cat will hide under a couch or a cupboard. Any place that is dark and inaccessible to others can become its safe house. At that time, they became more defensive. This can be due to lack of interaction with the humans or if they are feeling really sick. In this kind of situation, winning the trust of the cat is the best option.
These were some reasons that could be bothering your cat, but there are possibilities of different reasons. So it is better to consult the behavior specialists. The work of the specialist is to study the behavior of the cat and figure out the reason for its stress and give possible suggestions to reduce it. A cat’s brain is 80% like that of humans, so it is not very hard to understand the behavior of a cat. If your cat is acting up or running around scratching everyone or isn’t interacting with anyone at all then this can be an indication of anxiety in it.
There are many ways to deal with the cat’s anxiety.
1. A Cat House
Providing your cat with a small house that belongs only and only to it can reduce stress over privacy and marking territory. Giving your cat a cat-house is a great idea as your cat can roam around your house and after that, she can safely go to its own house where nobody can bother it. It can do whatever it wants in the house. Moreover, cats spend most of their time sleeping so a private place can help reduce stress in a lot of ways.
2. Getting one more cat
Usually, what happens is when you were with your cat at that time the cat feels safe and comfortable, but there are situations when you have to leave the house whether for work or for shopping and that’s where the trouble begins. Spending too much time with your cat is not a very good idea because once they get used to being around you all the time then it gets hard for them to be left alone. They get stressed and depressed.
Not only that, sometimes it gets hard to spend time with your cat for playing. Cats are very energetic animals and they need to spend energy somewhere and failing to do that can make them angry and anxious leading to an inappropriate behavior all the time.
You can deal with it by adopting one more cat. This can keep your cat busy and the company of its own kind can help it deal with stress. And if there is more than one cat in a household, then those cats grow better and healthier.
If you can’t adopt one more cat, then make sure you do these things
> Other than spending time with your cat, try to leave it alone sometimes so that they can make a habit of it. If you are around your cat all the time, then this can make your cat dependent on you which is not good for their mental health.
> Take out enough time to play with your cat every day. This can help your cat in dealing with stress and anxiety.
3. Entertain Your Cat
There are a lot of ways to entertain your cat. You can give your cat new toys after every few weeks or months because cats get easily tired of games. Also, puzzles are a great option to keep them busy as well as entertained. Try to give treats whenever they solve a puzzle. One of the best ways to keep your cat entertained is television. It is true that cats love to watch television. Try to show them cat cartoons, or shows where there are cats. This can really help them avoid the feelings of anxiousness and loneliness. So, whenever you go out or can’t give your cat’s attention, then switch on the TV to keep them entertained.
The above mentioned methods are very effective and can help in reducing anxiety and stress to a great extent, but if your cat’s behavior is still the same then take your cat to a vet for examination as there are a lot of different reasons that can make your cat anxious.