How Can You Tell If Your Cat is Stressed?

You can tell if your cat is stressed if he begins to display changes in mood, destructive behavior, excessive grooming, and any behavior that is outside the norm for your pet. While those signs can also be due to something other than stress, such as a medical condition, it’s important to consider stress as one possible cause.

How Do I Help My Stressed Out Cat? 

There are many reasons a cat may experience stress, and the truth is that it doesn’t always take much. Cats like things to stay the same and are easily stressed with any changes to their household such as:

• A move

• A new pet

• Death of another household pet

• A new baby

• Litter box being moved, not cleaned frequently enough, or use of a new type of litter. 

So how can you help? Scheduling an appointment with the vet is always a good idea in order to rule out a medical condition. If your cat gets a clean bill of health, you can try:

• Providing stimulating toys, such as puzzle feeders.

• Adding perches and window seats to give your cat new views.

• Calming products like collars and diffusers.

• Enlisting the help of a highly rated animal behaviorist. 

One Important Note 

If the event or the trauma that caused the stress is severe, your cat may stop eating. This is a dangerous situation as a cat can become deathly ill after just two or three or days without food. Unlike humans and dogs, a cat’s body cannot handle fasting. If your cat stops eating, go to the vet right away. The sooner you get the cat to the vet, the less likely your cat will be to develop a serious health problem, such as kidney failure or fatty liver disease.

Don’t ignore the signs of anxiety in your cat, as the stress is not likely to go away on its own. Instead, try at-home methods of dealing with the stress or seek the help of a professional.