Cat Health:Stressed Out Cats

Cats are emotional creatures that feel stress just like humans. Your cat can get stressed out just like you. I know my cat, Samus, gets stressed out. Like all cats, she gets stressed out whenever there is a change in her routine. This includes moving, new roommates, introducing a new cat, and changes in your routine. I found Samus on a friend's back porch when I was in college. It was very obvious that someone had abandoned her. When I first brought her to my apartment she adjusted quickly and didn't show too many signs of stress, but she was only three months old and she was more flexible. Unfortunately, when I moved that wasn't the case. Samus showed the classical signs of stress:

Changes in grooming habits- One of the symptoms of your cat being stressed out is a change in grooming habits. Some stressed out cats become compulsive groomers. Some of have been knows to groom so much that they give themselves a bald spot. Other stressed cats go in the opposite direction- They will stop grooming all together and allow their fur to become dirty and matted. After our first move, it was several weeks before Samus returned to her normal grooming habits.

Hiding-Even though cats have lived with humans for thousands of years, they are still animals that follow their instincts. When a cat becomes stressed and frighten, her instincts tell her to hide. This is one of the ways a cat protects herself. For me, this is one of the biggest indicators that Samus is stressed out. Whenever I move, get a new pet, or a new roommate moves in Samus will hide for days. The first time this happen to me I was really frighten. I never had a cat before so I didn't know that a stressed out cat will hide from her owners. I thought for sure she had ran away, but three days later she reappeared. I don't know where she hid. I thought I checked every square inch of my apartment.

Aggression-For me Samus' levels of aggression is the biggest indication that she is stressed out. Many cats become more aggressive when they are stressed out. This especially happen when I got a new cat. After Samus, hid for three days she finally came out. I thought my troubles were over-I was wrong. There were several nights when I woke up to hissing and groaning. She would attack the other cat without provocation.

If you see any of these signs, you need to help your cat. I always made sure I gave my cat more attention. I would call Samus into my bedroom and close the door. Then we would spend some time alone, but if she wanted to leave, I would let her out immediately. I would always make sure to keep as many things the same as possible. I would only make one change at a time. If we moved into a new place, I wouldn't decide to try a new food or new litter. I would also make sure that she had her normal bedding and toys around. I would also give her extra treats. I would also avoid giving her catnip. I found that catnip made her more aggressive.

If a few weeks didn't take care of the problem, I would then take her to the vet. I would ask the vet to do a check up. Usually he would say she was fine and to give her more time but it always gave me peace of mind to know that she was ok. I usually gave her a few months to get use to the changes. It was a hard few months but everything came out okay.