Cat Anxiety

Just like us, cats are equipped to deal with and recover from situations that cause acute (short-term) stress – for example, being chased up a fence by a dog.

Longer-term challenges, however, such as not getting on with another cat in the household, are much tricker for cats to cope with and these can cause chronic (long-term) stress.

Chronic stress can lead to behavioural and health problems that might even result in cats needing to be rehomed. So, what sort of things can make cats feel stressed? How can you recognize the signs of stress in your cat – and what can you do to prevent it?

Some cats are more likely to suffer from stress than others are. Genetic reasons probably contribute to this, but there are certainly environmental causes, too, such as lack of early socialisation.

Acute stress can be brought about by taking your cat away from home, perhaps for a visit to the vet or to stay in a boarding cattery. While a cat who is acutely stressed often appears very upset at the time, the effects shouldn’t be long-lived as long as they have time to settle peacefully back home afterwards.

One of the biggest causes of stress for cats is other cats. Having more than one cat in your home can work well if there are enough resources for the number of cats and if they all get on well. Sharing food or water bowls, resting places or litter trays can make some cats feel very anxious and can lead to chronic stress. Even if a cat is the only one in the home, they can still experience problems if they encounter cats outside with whom they don’t get on. If other cats can see into your home, your cat can’t escape them by going indoors, and life can become very difficult.

Other pets can make cats worried, too. While many cats and dogs get on well (often better than if they were both cats!), some cats find the arrival of a new puppy, for instance, difficult to cope with.

Even well-meaning humans in the family can cause a cat to feel stressed if they try to stroke, fuss, or pick them up when they don’t want attention. New babies crying and requiring attention from the adults in the house, or small children, who can’t recognize when cats don’t want to interact, can also be a source of chronic stress to a cat who likes routine and personal space.

Some cats may suffer from chronic stress if they are bored and frustrated by lack of opportunities to fulfil their behavioural needs.

Cats who are acutely stressed often appear as we might imagine a stressed cat to look. Common cat stress symptoms can be that they may freeze, crouch down, and stare with their eyes wide and their pupils dilated. They’ll often have their ears pinned back and their tail tucked around their body. Their hair may stand on end and they may hiss, growl, or begin to yowl or meow. Signs of stress in cats may be that they urinate or defecate – this often happens to cats who are stressed about being taken somewhere in their cat carrier. If you try to approach or touch a cat who is feeling acutely stressed, they may act aggressively, by swiping with their claws or biting.

It can be a little trickier to recognize a chronically stressed cat. This is partly because it can be difficult to associate the signs with the cause. Also, the nature of chronic stress means that changes can appear gradually, making them initially less noticeable. Chronic stress in cats can lead to a wide range of behavioural or health problems.

Behaviourally, you might see house soiling or inappropriate toileting, such as urine-spraying on objects that warm up and carry scents, like radiators. You could see a complete change in general behaviour, with cats becoming nervous and jumpy, aggressive or, at the other extreme, withdrawn and unreactive.

Cats may become clingy, or less playful, or they may spend a lot of time hiding, or appearing to sleep. Chronically stressed cats may alter their grooming habits, and overgrooming, sometimes to the point where bare or sore patches appear, can be a strong indicator of this. Just like chronically stressed humans, changes in feeding habits might also occur and, depending on the cat, you could notice that their appetite seems to change, or that they suddenly begin to want to eat non-food objects. If you have a cat who shows evidence of fighting, such as wounds or abscesses, you might then be able to link any out-of-character behaviour with stress caused by aggressive interactions with other cats.

Apart from stress affecting quality of life, there is some evidence that it can also lead to health problems. Feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC) is a condition with some similarities to the interstitial cystitis that affects some people. Cats with FIC suffer from pain and inflammation in the lower urinary tract, which is often most noticeable when they go to urinate. They tend to pass small amounts of urine, frequently, and the urine may contain blood from an inflamed bladder.

Often, cats begin to associate their discomfort with the litter tray and may start to go to the toilet outside of it. The sudden urge to urinate might catch them out, too, and they may not make it to their tray. The urine from a cat with FIC often contains clumps of cells and debris from the inflamed lining of the urinary tract and these can form plugs that block the urethra, preventing the bladder from emptying. A blocked bladder is life threatening and requires immediate veterinary attention, so always get a cat checked out straight away if they seem to be straining to urinate but not passing anything.

If stress affects a cat’s appetite, they may lose or gain weight over time, both of which can affect their health. Sometimes, stressed cats will vomit or have diarrhoea. Stress can also affect a cat’s immune system, making it more difficult for them to fight off infections, so they may seem ‘under the weather’ more often than you’d expect.

Often, stress makes cats change their grooming habits. This can lead to them licking an area so much that they remove all the hair and even cause a skin infection. Urinary tract pain, from FIC for instance, can make a cat lick their tummy so much that the skin, as well as the underlying reason for the licking, needs veterinary attention.