CATS ARE IN A FLAP
Stress over shared homes
ONE in five cats is suffering anxiety because they don’t like living with other moggies.
Worrying about their food and water being taken, sharing beds and litter trays and the fear of intruders through the cat flap is leaving them stressed.
Despite being solitary animals, more than 4.5 million of the UK’s 7.5 million cats live in multi-moggie households.
And in almost half of those, the pets have shown problems linked to stress.
For vet and cat psychologist Dr Sarah Heath, emotional well-being is as important as physical health.
She explained: “Introducing cats to each other abruptly can be very stressful if they’re not socially compatible.
“While physical confrontation may not be seen, passive signs such as social and physical withdrawal are likely.
“They can suffer chronic stress and this can affect physical health too.”
Dr Heath carried out an experiment with three cat owners to de-stress their pets. The first focused on separation – moving bowls, beds and litter trays as far from each other as possible. In OUR vet Brian Faulkner, from Petplan, has 16 years of experience and is a freelance working all over the country. Send your questions to Brian at: Petplan, Great West House, Great West Road, Brentford, Middlesex, TW8 9DX or via Petplan’s Facebook page facebook.com/ PetplanUK. the second she introduced toys for the cats to play together and in the third placed a pheromone diffuser in the house to spread a relaxing scent.
Stress levels were reduced in all three households. If you have more than one cat, Dr Heath advises:
Give them a safe place. Cats need privacy and time alone. Igloo-style beds offer cover and a hiding place to watch comings and goings.
Give each their own spot for food and water, and for toileting, scratching, play and sleeping. They need to not fear being disturbed by another cat.
Have toys for play and “predatory” behaviour. Ideally cats need one to five minutes of play at least twice a day.
Give each cat positive, consistent and predictable human interaction. Kittens need short intervals of cuddles at first to get used to it.
Smell is important to cats. Plug-ins that mimic cats’ facial pheromones, such as Feliway Classic, tell the cat the environment is safe.
The RSPCA advises cat siblings give the best hope of harmony. Alice Potter says: “They’re more likely to live happily with others they’re related to.” MY rabbit is very inactive. She has a large run but doesn’t move around a lot and is getting fat. Any advice? Should I change her diet?