When Cats Are Stressed and Depressed

How to identify and minimize chronic stress in cats.

Most cat caregivers recognize when a cat is in acute stress. Physically, the cat’s body language changes into a crouched position, the cat may growl or hiss, the ears are pinned back, and the pupils are very dilated. For many, this is a familiar position seen at the veterinary clinic [for how to reduce vet visit trauma, turn to page 58]. Acute stress is usually obvious and cat caregivers can often identify the cause for the cat’s response. But what about the more insidious, lower level chronic stress? More detrimental to your cat’s health, long-term stress can go missed, with damaging consequences. Here’s how to identify and address chronic stress in cats.

Is Stress Always Bad?

It’s impossible to eliminate all stress in a cat’s life. Some degree of stress is essential when it comes to survival. When an animal feels threatened, the acute stress response triggers hormones that trip the fight/flight/freeze response. The surge of hormones from the stress response helps an animal prepare to fight, run to safety, or freeze in place. This response is intended to be short-lived to equip animals for what is needed in a temporary situation. After the threat is gone, all physiological systems go back to normal settings.

The problem for most cats isn’t the obvious acute stress, but rather, the more subtle and easily overlooked chronic stress. This is the type of stress that seems to stay under the radar of many caregivers. Chronic stress, if allowed to continue longterm, can contribute to medical problems, behaviour issues, and even depression. The body wasn’t created to endure unrelenting chronic stress.

Chronic Stress

Signs of chronic stress are easy to overlook. They could include a change in appetite, litter box habits, activity level, and even change in appearance as the cat may begin overgrooming. Because these behaviours seem to creep up slowly over time, they can be missed by even the most diligent caregiver. This is the type of stress that takes up residence in situations such as when there’s ongoing tension in a multi-cat family, or when litter box conditions remain unsatisfactory for a cat. Other factors that can cause chronic stress include punishment, loneliness, inconsistent family schedules, constant family chaos, and even long-term illness. The list could go on. The point is that it can be easy to miss signs of chronic stress, but the effects can be very detrimental.

Some signs of stress may include:

→ Change in litter box habits

→ Change in appetite

→ Change in social behaviour

→ Change in sleep patterns

→ Excessive grooming

→ Change in normal vocalization

→ Increased aggression

→ Hiding

How to Minimize Stress: Think Like a Cat

Step number one is to uncover the cause(s) of the stress. This involves using your think like a cat skill to look at the environment from her perspective. You can provide a loving, comfortable home for your cats but also miss the fact that every time one kitty tries to use the litter box, she gets ambushed by a housemate cat. Or, maybe your cat is very bonded with you and now that you’ve changed to a job that requires longer hours away, she remains stressed because of the inconsistent schedule.

As you look at the environment from your cat’s point of view, you may notice not one, but multiple stress triggers that could use tweaking to reduce or even eliminate their effects. The most important fact is that you don’t want to just let your cat live in a state of chronic stress as that can impact her health, may lead to depression, and it’s heartbreaking in terms of quality of life. ▶