Stress can have negative physical and mental on cats, and it can negatively affect their relationships with other pets and humans in the home. If You're Feeling Stressed, So Is Your Cat, Copyright © 2021. No person can “give” their pet anxiety or depression. It can affect your muscles and bones. Depending on her stressors, your vet may prescribe medication and/or adjust her diet with therapeutic cat food, which can help relieve some urinary issues and get her on the path to feeling well again. So what can we do to help keep our cats' lives as stress-free as possible? If you see any of these symptoms, check with your veterinarian to eliminate any medical problem. Especially a cat that had only been inside our house two weeks and recently spayed. In general, stress lowers a cat’s immunity to disease. We are not attempting to diagnose or correct health and behavioral problems or to take the place of a professional veterinarian. Believe it or not, there are even pet-specific composers out there creating stress-busting music for pets! Karen Allen, PhD, Jim Blascovich, PhD, Wendy B. Mendes, MS, ", 4. By the time we arrived home with hubby’s shiny new truck, my mind wasn’t even excited about it. It may be the cat's stress, such as having a new cat to adjust to in the house. We assume no liability for any misuse of the information contained at this website. Just remember it’s possible that having a sustained stress level can negatively affect your cat as my anxiety had done to Jessie. Stress and anxiety just happen. If temperatures rise above 108° F then it could be fatal. How You Can Help Her. If your cat’s behavior changes suddenly in any way, schedule an appointment with your veterinarian. Doing this will almost always calm my frantic brain. (Part 2), What It’s Like Living in a Single Cat Household, Planning for Disasters to Protect Your Cat. When you think of what your cat goes through during the day do you ever thing of the possibility that she could also be affected by stress? Some are wonderful, some terrible, some neutral but suck our time. So I did the zombie-thing and slept it off. can stress affect my health much? But did you know that it doesn't just make you sick, it can also make your cat sick? Jessie Cat had stayed on a chair, mostly snoozing, during my intense “flying around the house trying to get everything caught up” phase. I’m a very scheduled person. Watch for the signs of chronic stress, like changes in your cat’s appetite or sleeping patterns, a drop in energy, or withdrawal. Some stressed cats also have a tendency to eat compulsively and not be able to stomach the food, before vomiting. I swear it was as if someone drugged her! If your stress is a result of the normal anxieties and worries about your career, being pregnant and what the future holds, there are things you can do to help yourself cope. It is important that you manage and reduce stress in your cat as much as you can because if your cat is stressed, they can become both emotionally and physically unwell and may develop physical illnesses as well as display problem behaviour. In some cases, stress can lead to the development of bladder stones or crystals, which can cause bleeding in … Having to stay indoors at the moment is stressful for us. Feliway can be used to spray in carriers before vet visits, in remodeled areas, in places where new pets or people are introduced, and any location where stress can occur. – Oh…I’m so dedicated!). Some of our cats most common causes of stress include: 1. visiting strangers or a new baby 2. competition for resources such as food, water or litter trays 3. other cats both in the house or neighborhood 4. a chang… "Humans who suffer from anxiety are known to pace or have difficulty sitting still, and this is true in cats as well. 1. Then her behavior alarmed us more so as we settled down to watch two television shows (I still didn’t have all the chores done, but didn’t want to miss my favorite shows! Stress, like any other illness, needs to … New cats are tense to begin with and … Supposedly, people who have pets live longer. Now, go rub your kitty and soak up a mental chill pill from the experience! Your cat more than likely knows it, too! Very odd. I have ADHD and OCD. Just as we feel stress from new surroundings, new schools or jobs, or changes in our relationships, so do our cats. Stress affects our cats in much the same way it affects us. You wonder what were such important “things” I had been pulled away from working on that day? Here you can find how to relieve menstrual cramps without medication. She remained sleeping in a cocoon of the blanket, on his lap, in his huge protective arms for the entire night. Another tip that I practice with my own pets is to play low-volume classical music when they’re home alone. According to veterinarian Lorie Huston, she found that her cat suffered from grief and stress after the loss of a household pet. Stress can affect your period causing a condition known as Polymenorrhea. We were worried and wondered if she was ill or even dying! There are many stressors that can significantly upset your cat, from loud noises to the death of a human companion. From an in-person conversation with feline veterinarian Dr. Fern Crist, September 2008. All better . By morning I was starving and she acted much better and loved on me like I might fall off the face of the earth! Jessie Cat says: My human, Gina, was a mess that particular day and it made me feel all yucky and kind of scared. Stress can cause urinary tract disease and changes in your cat’s pH. More importantly, our stress can also influence the development of actual physical illness in our cats as well as in ourselves. Stress and Your Cat… My Personal Story. Cats do not show their emotions as overtly as some other species and tend to withdraw and become quiet rather than ‘act out’ their anxieties. If she wasn’t better by morning, I would call the vet. It can raise your blood pressure. Stress and anxiety can have debilitating effects on a human's health. Changes in temperature: extreme cold. One of the most important ways in which we can help our cats is by managing our own stress level. But what do cats have to be stressed about? Existing cats learn your routines and personality and again sense when you’re ready to explode. “Our stress can induce undesirable behaviors in our cats, such as inappropriate urination. The cat is especially susceptible to pathological stress. A psychological trigger may be to blame, like a traumatic experience, lack of proper socialization or a history of abuse or neglect. My heart raced, my head pounded and felt like it would pop (but no actual headache), my hands trembled and felt tingly numb, and I couldn’t take in deep breaths. The cycle of stress. Hopefully, many people will turn to their cats for comfort and flip off the switch on stress. Dr. Fern Crist, of The Cat Hospital of Fairfax, Virginia: "As a veterinarian, I frequently see cats that are urinating outside the litterbox. By the next day, Jessie was perfectly normal again. If your cat is experiencing urinary stress, a visit to the vet is likely needed. Feline Nutrition Foundation. If she’s lounging in a sunny window right now it’s probably hard to imagine that anything in her life could cause stress, but surprisingly, there are many events that can result in stress to your cat. In my book, there is no such thing as a bad cat or inappropriate behavior. Sometimes, it may take something as drastic as a beloved cat getting sick before we make the necessary changes to take better care of ourselves. Eating disorders can also affect cats, albeit for very different reasons to those in humans. Feliway has been reported to increase appetite and food consumption in hospitalized cats as well as minimize cat stress in general and promote a feeling of well-being. Heat stroke in cats is extremely dangerous and it can lead to multiple organ failure. I warned him that she’d get too hot under the blankets, let alone she never lounged on him and his recliner, and jump down soon. I try to take advantage of Jessie Cat’s medicinal-like, soothing, always free and freely-offered qualities and abilities to help me relax now. New cats are tense to begin with and add to that your agitated emotions that kitty can sense. This unhealthy situation holds true for all cats. With zero zest, she pushed the food around with her nose and ate a mouthful here and there. Potential causes that may result in a stressed cat are wide and varied. How does stress affect my cat? Stress is an adaptive mechanism intended to ensure survival in dangerous situations. So I did the zombie-thing and slept it off. We live on “overload” most of the time. 2 doctor answers. This occurs when a woman has short cycles or cycles lasting less than 21 days, leading in some cases to light menstruation twice a month. Cat anxiety may be caused by pain or illness, exposure to something toxic or infectious diseases that affect the nervous system. How to Recognize Stress in Your Cat . There is such a thing as unappreciated behavior. It can affect our ability to process thought, our daily routines and sometimes even result in serious health conditions. But it can just as easily be the owner's stress. Environmental stresses are also a factor in cats being infected by the feline leukemia virus. As responsible owners, we sometimes need to take a good look at ourselves when we ask why our pets are having problems. Well there is actually quite a lot in modern life that can cause stress and different factors such as genetics and socialization can influence how well each individual copes with these. Once evening came, Jessie no longer acted normal (for her). Shortly after adopting Jessie Cat, perhaps two weeks into her living in the house, we went truck shopping for my husband. Just as with humans, stress can cause a wide variety of health issues in cats by compromising their immune system. For example, some cats and dogs may have the genetic coding for anxiety already present. I immediately flew into the house to check on Jessie Cat, who was perfectly fine. What types of stress can affect people? When stress affects you, your behavior goes nutty, which signals to your cat something is wrong, then your cat could feel stressed, too! But for someone with my wacky brain, when I can’t get through my many, many, varied checklists and get things done when I want them done, I can spin out of control. Even worse, stress and anxiety can affect your cat’s health negatively, manifesting itself in a variety of ways including illnesses like cystitis and inappropriate elimination. Stress has been identified as a significant component of (or trigger for) most common cat behaviour problems and some common diseases. Cats are sensitive by nature. A pet who is exhibiting such behavior likely already had some propensity for the behavior. For me, that’s daily. It’s good to note that stress and your cat’s health can be a two-way “Cause and Effect” game. Cats are … While that may not always be realistic, there are things people can do to minimize the effect of environmental stress on cats. Caregivers are more likely to have symptoms of depression & anxiety; have higher levels of stress hormones; are more likely to have long-term medical problems such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or arthritis; have weaker immune responses to the flu vaccine; have slower wound healing, etc. She still hadn’t eaten anything that night and seemed to sulk and not want to move off the chair. 6. But chronic stress can lead to health issues in your cat. Not. More importantly, our stress can also influence the development of actual physical illness in our cats as well as in ourselves. Tian Xu and others, "Stress Triggers.". Some call them panic attacks. Things that may not seem stressful to a person can be perceived as extremely stressful by a cat, and the cat's physiological reaction to the stressors can manifest as illness. Overly taxing situations can lead not only to mental distress but physical distress as well. Stress is unpleasant. Obviously, I would need to tag along and drive our current vehicle back home if/when he bought a new truck since he’d be driving that one home. Not to the extent I’m medicated, not presently, although several times in my life I have taken meds to help me chill. Surprises pop up. We can’t control everything or everyone. Stress can lead to unhappy behaviour such as less interaction with you, hiding away, general mischief or even scratching or spraying. I proceeded to dive into the trenches and get as much of those chores done as possible, moving at the fastest human speed I could manage. Done to Jessie cat you know that our cats in much the same way it affects.... Loss of a professional veterinarian evident in order to get us to our... Can “ give ” their pet anxiety or depression this website is meant for informational or entertainment.. Jim Blascovich, PhD, Jim Blascovich, PhD, Wendy B. Mendes, MS, ``, 4 with... 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