Feline Stress – Is My House Cat Stressed?
Cats have stress? Sure they do! Cats need special diets and special treatment just like any other household resident. Cats rely on humans to know what is best, and educated pet owners should design their pet’s nurturing and care with these factors in mind. Cats can get stressed out when furniture is rearranged or there is nothing rough to claw on, or get nervous because they are bored and have a lot of energy.
How many litter boxes do older cats need? Why is a scratching post necessary? Why is declawing not advisable? Why does the fur not grow better? Is a single cat too lonely? Questions crowd the new cat owner’s minds as well as someone who has had the same cat for fifteen years. Some cats fear other cats, hate unknown spaces, won’t go to the vet’s, or generally puzzle their owner with some new weirdness. But the cat’s responses are natural.
Cats need special attention from newborn age to mature cathood. Kittens need more fat, adult cats need a proper mixture of fats, grains, and proteins, and mature cats need little protein, negligible fat and no sugar at all. But what do new kitten owners do? Give them milk! When traveling, consider the pets. Educated owners know that boarding services stress cats out and the experience can alter their psychology towards their owner.
Uneducated cat owners get their cats declawed instead of buying a scratching post, and thus denature their balance, invalidating core back and arm muscles and 75% of their defensive strength. Declawed cats bite more because their secondary defenses, all ten of them have been cut out. Cats with no claws are not safer for children because they bite more, not less. Chew toys and scratching posts make better and less traumatic solutions.
Cats have stress because unlike people there are environmental, dietary, and psychological elements in the immediate living space they cannot change. Adult owners must oversee that cats are living in an environment suited to their instincts. Owners must observe changes in dietary habits, elimination, behavior, mood, and temperament. Artificial sprays, chemicals, cleaners, and other household items are not a cat’s best friend. Cat dander and fur issues need to be addressed as veterinary, not cleaning issues.
Small meal sizes and fewer meals are for kittens and mature cats, even active ones. Digestive systems are not equal in either age range to a full stomach. Digestive enzymes in cats need to be replaced as kidneys and stomach tissues age. Treats for adult cats should be limited in portion size, no more than a half teaspoon of things like ice cream or peanut butter are appropriate. Adult cats eating little but complex meat over time develop kidney problems due to the imbalance in the diet.
Special diets, special massages, special vitamins, and special companion activities can improve a cat’s mental state. Improved diet can give a nervous cat some inner strength and can make a lazy cat more active. A veterinarian should be seen if continued abstinence from meals continues. Veterinarians often cite litter boxes too near the eating area or lack of privacy as nervous conditions that turn into physical disorders because cat systems operate on smell and proximity.
Cats are far from the no-petcare assumption many casual owners presume. Shelter and food are minimum requirements, but love and attention to cat behavior really is required for pet owners and cat lovers. Many cat owners have no idea they are harming an animal’s health by over indulging them. But educated cat owners find a happy medium to bring happiness to cats in a healthy way. Shopping for a proper vet who can give the best care for your pet is the first step to staying educated and responsible.