Dealing With Your Cat's Anxiety

Let's discuss about dealing with your cat's anxiety.Life can be stressful and you sometimes wish you could be like your cat who gets to sleep and play all day. However, did you know that some cats also deal with stress, anxiety and sometimes have obsessive compulsive disorder? This article discusses ways of dealing with your cat's anxiety.

What does a cat with OCD do? It's similar to OCD in humans, engaging in repetitive behaviors that are usually only logical to the person doing them. The behaviors are part of the person or cats routine, they do them for a long time, and the strange behaviors become something they do without even really noticing.

Typically this type of behavior is initially triggered by something such as stress or trauma. However, it ends up being a behavior that doesn't even need a trigger. Many cats act compulsively to make themselves feel safe, less stressed, etc. The most common forms of OCD in cats include pacing, repetitive meowing, excessive grooming, sucking on fabric, and itching.

Asian breeds of cats such as Siamese seem to be predisposed to compulsion behavior such as fabric chewing and repetitive vocalization, however there really isn't any one breed or gender of cats that gets OCD the most. It can also affect cats of all different ages. 

Compulsive behavior can be a sign of a mental disorder or your cat may be stressed. If you have other pets, young children, your cat is confined, or any situation like this may cause stress to a cat. If a cat begins acting compulsive and then receives attention when doing this behavior, it may begin to do it more often. Never do anything to reinforce your cat's compulsive behavior.

To help your cat deal with its stress and OCD, you can help eliminate some stress. Make sure your cat isn't being bothered or bullied by another pet or small children that may not understand how to properly handle a cat yet. You can also give your cat extra attention, however give it attention when it's not acting compulsively.

Cats can become stressed if they are always kept indoors. Make sure they have a window or door to look out of. Play with plenty so they get exercise. Let them outside if they won't roam and you don't live close to a road. If you are worried about your cat's safety when outside, keep it in a fenced in area or take it for walks on a leash.

Keeping a schedule can also help. Your cat may be less stressed if there aren't unexpected things always happening. Feed your cat and the same times and make sure it gets nap time and play time every day.

If your cat excessively grooms itself until its hair begins to fall out, you may want to put something on those spots, so your cat stops cleaning them. Talk to your veterinarian about different options that are available.

The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your veterinarian or other health care professional. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment.