Dogs have ways to communicate their stresses, but cats don’t. Still, you can interpret signs of anxiety or fear in your cat if you know what to look for.
The first red flag is changes in the cat’s behavior. If your usually laid-back cat has begun to avoid you, hides under the bed much of the time, acts surprisingly aggressive or tries to run away, something or possibly someone in the house is bothering it.
Another clear signal of distress for a house cat is when it pees or poos outside the litter box. Refusing food, or eating all the time, are signs of what we would call depression in a human; and so it is for cats.
A cat’s body language also gives away signs of stress. If you notice that your pet is freezing in place, panting, shaking, or sitting in a tense position a lot, it’s afraid of something, or anticipating trouble.
Observe if it often tries to make itself smaller by sitting motionless with its head low, the tail tucked under its body; or on the contrary, trying to look bigger by arching its back with all its fur standing on end. Defiant growling and yowling usually goes with that. It may be an attempt to intimidate some other cat in territory it considers its own.
Watch its face. If your cat’s eyes are wide open with dilated pupils, it’s in defense mode. It will stare ahead hard, or sometimes blink rapidly and look away instead. It flattens its ears to the head and pulls its whiskers back. It might hiss if you approach. You feel the menace in its posture and face. That’s because the cat feels menaced itself.
Passive signs of anxiety may include constantly licking its nose, rubbing its face on surfaces a lot, and constant licking of its hind legs to the point where the fur sheds off. An insecure cat may start following its human around all the time or on the contrary, become withdrawn.
Sometimes a cat’s stress relates to past events. This is common with rescue cats. A black cat I adopted used to physically flinch at every little noise, a throwback to early trauma as a kitten abandoned in the street. It took many months of TLC and respect for his need to be left alone to gain his trust. But while he eventually enjoyed being talked to and petted, he forever remained nervous and on the watch, never sitting on my lap for more than a minute. I think it made him feel trapped, but then I’ll never know for sure. Here’s a post about how black cats are being protected in Spain until Halloween.
Chronic stress impacts a cat’s health in the long run. Feline idiopathic cystitis, where there’s inflammation of the bladder, is often ascribed to chronic stress. The bladder inflammation can become so severe as to cause a blockage of the urinary tract, a painful emergency condition. If you see your cat straining to urinate, peeing very little each time, choosing a cool surface to pee on, like a tile floor rather than the litter box, and/or meowing while urinating, take him or her to the veterinarian right away.
What might be stressing your cat? And how can you help it?
If your cat is sick and/or elderly, it will probably be living with some pain and stress. Here consistent veterinarian’s care is essential. Would you consider treating your pet with medical marijuana?
Different factors in the environment may lead to a cat’s stress, but most often it goes back to other cats. If one cat doesn’t get along with another in the house, being obliged to share can lead to fierce competition for the food and water, litter box, toys, and beds – even if each cat has its own. The solution is to separate the cats’ properties as far as possible, and have patience. With time, they may become friends. On the other hand, they may agree to live in peace only as long as their stuff stays separate, so keep observing them.
Neighborhood cats can bully a house cat. This is difficult to manage. The easiest thing is to let the cat decide when it’s safe to go outdoors: it will catch the scent of a neighborhood tough close by and stay indoors if it feels a threat in the air.
Sometimes cat stress comes from feeling trapped. A cat will let you know if you’re petting or holding it against its will. It will wriggle out of your arms or jump off your lap. If you insist on picking it up when it wants to be left alone, it may scratch or bite. Respect its feline independence.
Boredom and frustration cause stress. Cats need to scratch, and if denied a scratch pole or pad, or access to a tree, it will scratch the furniture. Some cats need lots of stimulation and roaming outdoors, or love wild gymnastics in the house. Almost every cat likes to climb and hang out in high places. Ever watched a cat watching you from the top of the fridge? If your cat must be kept indoors, arrange your home so there’s at least one place where your cat can leap from one height to another, and to a third or fourth if it’s possible.
Don’t panic if you find your pet delicately stepping along the thin ledge outside a high window. Rather than startling it with a shriek, just let it come back inside in its own good time.
Some cats are content with a safe life in a home with cozy hiding places and just a window to the world. Many need both: plenty of activity (usually at night) and a hidey-hole or two. And cats’ needs change. A pregnant cat slows down, and naturally, so does an older cat. There’s only one way to get to know your cat’s needs, and that’s by observing them.
Cats are conservative creatures. Change stresses them. A new food can upset a cat. Big upsets like moving house, the sudden absence of a beloved human, or a new person in the house (like a baby) may cause your pet to become withdrawn, or more vocal than ever. Obviously you can’t control every factor in a cat’s environment but consider that in many respects, care of a cat resembles care of another human. It’s happiest when feeling safe.
