Greetings fellow felines. It’s me, Sgt Stripes. The lady cats say that I am causing them stress. I don’t mean to; I just want to have a happy home. I thought that maybe I would do some research to help them (I love Mr Google). Here’s what I found.

The Most Common Causes of Stress

• Living with other cats – Hmm. wasn’t really expecting this to be the number one answer. Apparently we don’t naturally live with other cats. Guess we all like to have our own way.
• Strange cats coming into your home. That’s what they say I did. But it’s not true – Mom invited me. Besides, I’m not strange.
• Putting our stuff in the wrong place or not taking care of it. We like our litter boxes clean and our food and beds in quiet areas. That’s just common sense, don’t you think? And most of us prefer not to share that stuff.
• Changing houses. More common sense. Who wants to adapt to a new space? (Unless the old one was icky, like the shelter.)
• Renovating or redecorating the house. A bunch of noise and confusion. And kitties really don’t like change.

• New animals in the house. It’s not just other cats that can make us nervous. Dogs can do it too. Especially if it’s an energetic, noisy puppy.
• Unsuitable handling. Not all of us like to be petted or fussed over. Some of us will paw back or bite a little. Those are the kitties who know how to maintain their boundaries. There are others who suffer in silence and get stressed out about it.
• A new baby. Not a surprise. They’re loud and smelly. And take away time from us.
• Guests visiting. Some of us like people, and some of us do not. And some humans are loud and obnoxious. (Just a personal observation.)
• Fireworks. Is it even necessary to explain this one? They have loud, scary noises and bright lights. They are awful from a feline perspective.

How should you let your human know if you are stressed? Different cats handle it differently. Sometimes it’s obvious, and sometimes your human needs to pay attention (which they should be doing anyway.)

Physical Symptoms of Stress

• Change in eating habits. We kitties love our food, but we are also generally creatures of habit. Any obvious changes should be looked at closely. For example, we shouldn’t be eating non-food items like plastic or wool (it’s called pica). If we started eating a lot more or a lot less, it might be due to stress.

• Change in toilet habits. Stress can cause diarrhea and/or vomiting. It can also be responsible for  us not using the little box as often as we once did. Severe stress can even lead to cystitis, an inflammation of the bladder that causes painful, bloody urination.
• Changes in the way we look. If you notice bald patches or sores due to over-grooming, the cause is likely to be stress. A generally less-spiffy looking coat may be the result of the other signs of stress.
• Stress-induced “cat flu”. We might get a runny nose and eyes for no apparent reason if we are under stress. Stress can also make it tougher for us to deal with chronic illness or recover from being sick.

Behavioral Symptoms of Stress

• If you notice a kitty who is just not acting like themselves, it may be due to stress. Look for changes in litter box use, spraying/defecating outside the litter box, or excessive scratching.
• Kitties who become aggressive may be stressed out. They might attack their human or other animals in the house. They may also meow excessively. (Not sure how you tell in those kitties who already talk constantly.
• A change in a kitty’s interaction with their human is also important. Either wanting a lot more attention or avoiding the humans can be a sign of stress.
• A general lack of interest is a warning sign. Some kitties stop wanting to play, some don’t want to come inside anymore (or go outside).
• A kitty who paces around meowing is generally a stressed kitty. (Unless it is a kitty who is trying to get their human to FINALLY feed them.)

The Look of a Stressed Cat

An alert human should be able to see the signs of a really stressed cat fairly easily:

• Crouches and looks tense when not hunting
• Ears rotate backwards and flatten
• Wide eyes with dilated pupils
• Stares at the floor with a fixed expression
• Rapid, frequent grooming
• Frequent head shaking
• Twitching skin on the back
• Exaggerated swallowing

What Should You Do if You are Really Stressed?

Humans say that the first step is a trip to the vet. That’s particularly important if there are problems with eating or using the litter box. They even have kitty therapists to help with behavioral change. Of course, sometimes the humans have to change things like moving our food station or litter box.

I don’t think the ladies downstairs are quite at that level of stress. Mom tried stress-reducing treats. Not really sure how they would have worked. They tasted so nasty none of us would eat them. Now she’s going to try a pheromone diffuser. Guess it’s supposed to make us think of our cat moms and help us relax.

Other possibilities for less-severe stress is taking our minds off whatever is causing it. Some humans experts recommend food puzzles to distract us, more vertical space, more scratching posts, and more safe outdoor access. If we’re thinking about something else, we won’t be thinking about being stressed out. It might work: Snoops doesn’t seem stressed out when she’s hunting mice.

Hope the ladies read this and feel better.

Pictures courtesy of Google Images. (Except us.)