Not just a meme: cats really do want you to return to the office
Change is sickening them, vets say
Cats are suffering from life-threatening stress illnesses because owners have been spending more time at home during the pandemic, veterinarians warn.
Surgeries have noticed a rise in conditions such as blocked bladders among cats, which experts blame on upheaval to their daily routines while people were driven indoors during lockdowns.
“We have seen a rise in blocked bladders in male cats and cystitis in male and female cats during the lockdowns and coming out of lockdown,” said Debbie
James, a veterinary nurse from Vet’s Klinic in Swindon, a town in southwest England.
James said the most common cause is stress and the cat needs to be examined by a vet.
“Blocked bladder is a life-threatening condition and if you notice your male cat straining to urinate or not urinating
or urinating in strange places around the house or blood
being present then contact your vets as soon as possible.”
Owners should not take cat stress personally, as the animals favour routine so any sudden changes can upset them, James said.
Cats Protection, Britain’s largest feline welfare charity, has also found that many pets are struggling to cope with spending all day in the company of their owners.
“It would appear that some cats may have become more stressed in their home during the pandemic,” said Daniel Cummings, a Cats Protection behaviour officer.
“Changes to a cat’s routine always has the potential to cause stress as they are creatures of habit.
“As well as this, ‘safe’ or ‘quiet’ places that a cat could have escaped to in the home previously may have been repurposed as a home office.”
Cats have been particularly prone to noisy children being at home rather than school during lockdown, he added, or lots of noises and activity in the household.
The charity advises owners to look for symptoms of chronic stress or depression in cats, such as becoming more withdrawn, having a less shiny fur coat, changes to eating, drinking and toilet patterns, pacing or restlessness and exhibiting less of their normal behaviours.
Owners can try cat stress-reduction techniques such as adding hiding places in the home, avoiding handling them too much, using a pheromone diffuser and keeping the home routine as predictable as possible.
The work-from-home lockdown life has not been all misery for felines.
“Some may enjoy human companionship and time with people more than others,” said Sarah Tapsell, a clinical animal behaviourist.
She said the key was to introduce household routine changes gradually, especially when returning to the office full-time, as even less sociable cats could get agitated by an abrupt change in their owner’s working patterns.
Vets say that dogs are less prone to pandemic-induced stress, but that puppies that grew up in lockdown may suffer from separation anxiety now that restrictions have lifted.