modern day life can be very stressful for our cats but they are very good at
hiding this and often we'll only realize that our cats are stressed when they
develop extreme behaviors or illness in reality though if we know what to look
for we can recognize stress so much earlier are they becoming withdrawn are they
grooming more or urine spraying well these are just some of the signs of
stress in pet cats hi I'm dr. Alex Avery from ourpetshealth.com helping you
and your cat to live a healthier happier life so before jumping into the signs of
stress let's look at what stress actually is what it can result in and
what causes stress in cats so stress is a natural reaction and is not always bad
in fact it can be very important for any animal to deal with sudden events such
as part of the flight or flight response now the problem comes when the
stress moves from short-term to long-term chronic stress it is this
long-term stress that can result in behavioral problems and it can actually
be an important contributor or trigger for some serious diseases so the big
headline effects of this stress include urine spraying aggression over grooming
and cystitis and this last one can actually be fatal for male cats but what
do cats have to be stressed about surely most of them live a pretty cushy life
with their every whim catered for well there is actually quite a lot in modern
life that can cause stress and different factors such as genetics and
socialization can it influence how well each individual copes with these so some
of our cats most common stressors include visiting strangers a new baby
in the house competition for resources such as food water or litter trays
other cats being present both in the house or the neighborhood changing
routine or something like building work in the house so let's look at the signs
of short-term acute stress now these situations are generally a result of an
unexpected event or perceived threat and the result is signs that are fairly easy
to recognize it's important to know though that your cats may only show one
or two of these signs and that some of these are only shown when more severe
stress is present so general body posture will change where the cat may be
becoming motionless with legs bent the tail may be held close to the body or it
may start to flick from side to side almost like a dog wagging
their tail it will make sure not to expose the underside of that belly and
that breathing is likely to become more rapid the big giveaways of stress are
often found by looking at the head so it may be held close to the ground
motionless and lower than the body eyes are likely to be wide open and the
pupils fully dilated rather than that vertical slit of black that you'll
normally notice staying with the head their ears will become more and more
flattened and pulled back the whiskers might be pulled back and your cat might
start making a sad mournful meow as stress levels rise this meow might turn
to a yowl and then a growl they may then begin to hiss as well as potentially
start shaking or drooling finally a terrified cats may pass urine or
defecate uncontrollably and by this stage and even before that if they are
approached then it's very likely that they'll lash out either by
swiping with their claws or trying to bite if your cat turns from a kitten to
a monster then you know that they are truly stressed so as you can see these
signs of acute stress become progressively more obvious and I'm sure
that you'd easily recognize them in your cat should the situation arise chronic
stress signs though are much more subtle and this makes them harder to recognize
especially as they often develop slowly over a long period of time rather than
clear physical characteristics chronic stress generally causes behavioral
changes rather than change in physical appearance a reduction in activity is
first up chronic stress behavior often results in
increased time resting sleeping or even just pretending to be asleep and also
hiding away in safe places now these safe places are often off the ground
darker and enclosed giving your cat a feeling of security as well as this
reduction in physical activity we may actually get an increase in other
behaviors one we can all relate to is eating if we are feeling a bit depressed
or if we're stressed then we reach for comfort food and cats are the same and
you may very well notice that your cat is spending more and more time at their
food bowl if you leave food down for them all the time if they're just fed at
mealtimes you might find that they are pestering you for more food or seeming
to be always hungry grooming is the next activity that might be increased
excessive grooming excessive time spent grooming might appear as though your cat
is often itchy it's often though directed at specific areas frequently
both sides of their tummy and over grooming can be to such an
extent that the hair is removed in your cat is left with some pretty large bald
patches interaction with the family is another activity that may be increased
with your cat wanting continual constant reassurance and coming across a very
needy but this is actually very personality dependent with other cats
either withdrawing from family life or coming across as though they're caught
in two minds and with either of these situations for our outdoor cats you
might also notice that your cats are spending more time in the house they
might reduce the amount of time that they spend outside and they may also
either refuse to go out at certain times or never really stray far from their cat
flap with this time spent in the house will also come a couple of easily
recognized behaviors scratching and face rubbing so these are both behaviors
which identify safe places scratching provides both visual and scent marking
while face rubbing releases feline facial pheromone into your cat's home
environment and all of these factors actually mark out your cat's territory
and as a result they feel at home and more safe toileting issues are often the
behavior of stress cat exhibits that results in help and advice being sought
as owners will often become understandably very frustrated with a
cat who sprays urine or toilets in unusual places it's very often there
seems to be no particular cause or reason why they're doing this well the
answer is generally stress although there are also some medical issues that
can cause this problem here so spraying is when your cat is standing up and the
urine is directed onto vertical surfaces like walls or furniture this is something
normally only done by entire animals as a form of marking if your cat is
stressed though marking their own territory is incredibly important for
them spraying is another part of this along side face rubbing and scratching
urinating and defecating in a normal way but in locations other than their litter
tray can also be a sign of stress and this might be for reasons such as too
high competition for litter trays or a new cat spending time in their garden
this one might also be because of cystitis arthritis senility or a number
of other common causes and this means that it is a good idea for any cat
urinating inappropriately to get them checked out by your vet and ideally when
you go take a urine sample with you as well so my final big sign of stress in
cats is aggression depending on your cat's
personality they may either choose to hide away or alternatively become
aggressive some might do both and this aggression can take several forms they
might attack other cats they might target strangers to the house or even
close family a stress cat may also direct their aggression towards
something other than the source of the perceived threat and an example of this
would be your cat attacking you after getting scared by slamming door or
something similar this aggression may even be towards inanimate objects and a
precursor to this behavior might be becoming hyper vigilant appearing on
edge all the time stopping playing and jumping even the smallest events so to
quickly summarize this list of the ways to tell if your cat is stressed we can
break them down to reduce physical activity an increase in some behaviors
such as feeding and grooming and increased marking with face rubbing
scratching and urination change an interaction with some cats wanting more
interaction some withdrawing and then finally aggression remember too that
these signs of stress in cats may be very subtle and the chances are that
your cat would only be showing one or two of these if they become stressed but
by knowing what to look out for though you'll be able to pick up these subtle
signs and help your cat feel comfortable and safe don't underestimate the effect
of stress when your cat's quality of life as for how you can help your cat
well check out my related video link down below which gives you a lot of
different strategies of how to reduce stress in cats
have you got a stressed cat how did their behavior change what signs did you
notice I'd really love to read the comments down below also if it's your
first time here remember to subscribe and until next time i'm dr. alex from
our pets health because they're family