5/12/09

Stressed cat symptoms or bad cat behavior?



Stressed cat symptoms and how to read them from cat behavior

Stress is the greatest barrier which can build between you and your lovely pet. Stress causes changes in regular cat behavior and cat communication. Frustration is the worst result of stress and it can make both of you uncomfortable. Stress can easily damage human relationships and it is true for relationships between animals and humans. Knowing the common symptoms of a cat with stress, you can build a better relationship with him/her. Health problems can appear as sudden changes in cats' behavior and that is not bad cat behavior; therefore, it is wise to visit your vet in a situation like below ones.

1. Problems with the litter box (Understood as a bad cat behavior)
A cat in stress may avoid the litter box. But, there are several other reasons causing a cat to avoid the litter box. A dirty litter box or a litter box which doesn't fit its size can cause a cat avoiding it. It is not wise to assign any of these with bad cat behavior.

2. Territorial marking behaviors (Understood as a bad cat behavior)
A cat in stress may show excessive territorial marking behavior.

3. Decreased or increased appetite
Over eating or loss of appetite are signs of stress. Therefore if your cat eats less than or more than usual, it could be it is in stress. Excessive grooming is also a sign of stress.

4. Redirected aggression(Understood as a bad cat behavior)

Acting wild and showing aggression towards other people are signs of stress .This can happen due to the feeling of threat like an intruder cat or a dog.

5. Hiding
Acting restlessly or panicking for little things, spending lot of time hiding are probable signs of stress.

Most important thing is that you should understand your cats' situation when it is in stress. Show much more love and sympathy and try to find out the root course for his situation. A cat with stress would crave for attention. It is looking for help from others.


1 comment:

  1. Very useful post! Another point that I would like to add is shedding. Shedding can be overlooked since most cats shed regularly. However, shedding is usually the first sign that a cat is anxious or stressed.

    Lynette
    paws-for-life.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete