It may be hard to understand why cats get stressed. They sleep all day, they don’t need to work and everything they could ever want is provided for them. However, when something is amiss or there are changes in their environment it can easily turn your calm cat into an anxious cat.

Signs of stress can become apparent in behaviours your cat exhibits, such as:

• Inappropriate urination and/or defecation
• Excessive vocalization
• Heavy breathing with mouth open
• Excessive grooming

Here are some simple ways you can treat signs of stress in your cat and help put them at ease:

Pheromone Therapy
When a cat feels safe in its environment it rubs its head from the chin to the base of the ear up against furniture, corners or other objects. This causes a release of facial pheromones, which are the very same as are used in pheromone therapy. This therapy has been incredibly successful in many cases we have treated here at Pet Doctors for urine marking, vertical scratching, loss of appetite or refusal to play and to interact, which are all caused by an unbalanced harmony within the cat.

Natural remedies
Catnip won’t work long term to ease your stressed cat, but it can cause an increase in your cat’s psychological well-being. Lavendar can also have a calming effect if used in a diffuser. Just be sure that any natural oils you use won’t irritate their senses.

Special treats
If there’s a special occasion treat your cat absolutely loves then now is the time to bring one out and take their mind off things for awhile. While this is a short-term solution it might just ease the cycle of what your cat is worried about if they know they get something special at the time.

If your cat is showing signs of anxiety and nothing seems to calm her then please contact Pet Doctors on 5576 0400 for more advice.