Stress In Cats During Quarantine
It is not common for a house cat to go out on the street, but you have certainly noticed a change in the routine of your felines now that the house is never empty due to the quarantine. But for our cats the presence of the owners 24 hours a day can also be stressful. Here are some tips for preventing stress in cats during quarantine.
How to recognize stress in cats during quarantine?
Stress in cats can cause various health problems : it harms the immune system and can even lead to eating disorders and alopecia.
A stressed cat can be very reactive, nervous and agitated. His normal behavior can change and he may scratch places he has never touched before, go to the toilet out of the litter box, mark territory, exhibit compulsive behavior, excessive meowing and hyperactivity, among other symptoms.
The position of the body and ears, the size of the pupils, the whiskers and the tail are indicative of the mood of the cat. These signs can give you a clue as to your stress levels.
A frustrated or anxious cat has dilated pupils and forward ears and whiskers; it keeps the body taut and collected, with the tail stationary or with the tip moving from side to side. In addition to this, it can meow continuously and walk from one point to another non-stop. These repeated movements are referred to as stereotypies.
If you detect any of these signs in your pets for a long time, you must first rule out a possible health problem with your vet. After making sure that this change in the feline’s routine is not due to a disease, check the possible cause of the stress in the animal to eliminate it and start treating the problem.
Causes of stress in felines
Here are the most common causes of stress in domestic cats:
- Changes during isolation. A house inhabited all day is a new situation that the cat is not used to. Although he is happy with human company, it is important to give him his space; cats, in fact, are very independent animals and when they want to receive attention they will ask for it.
- Poor environmental enrichment. This problem is common to many homes with cats. Lack of stimulation causes stress in pets. It is important to satisfy all their physical and mental needs to make sure they are healthy and happy: a suitable scratching post, toys to activate their hunting instincts and the ability to move or a window to look out of are some elements that enrich the environment in where a cat lives.
- Insufficient resources. This problem occurs in homes where multiple cats live together. If you do not have enough resources for both animals, competition problems can arise to obtain them or to attract the attention of the owners. The ideal is to have enough toys, bowls for water and food, places to rest and scratching posts for both. As for the litter box, it is advisable to keep one per cat, plus an additional one.
How to avoid stress in cats during quarantine?
Eliminating the cause of stress is the ideal solution to improve the life of the feline. Despite this, there are also some tricks that we can put into practice while waiting to detect the source of the problem:
- Stimulate the game. This is a good way to keep your cat fit while sharing time together.
- Increase environmental enrichment with new places to take refuge (you can scatter cardboard boxes around the house, cats love them), scratching posts of different heights firmly on the floor or access to a window (always protected to prevent falls).
- Use mating pheromones. They are sold in speakers to plug into the electrical outlet and there are several types: to relax, to reduce fights and to avoid scratches.
Stress in cats can become chronic over time if left unresolved, thus causing serious health problems. Owners must always keep in mind that cats are hunting animals and very active at certain times of the day.
It is therefore important to emphasize that cats need to receive sufficient stimulation in their daily days, not just during quarantine.
