Can Cats Help With Anxiety
Its no secret that our feline friends have a calming effect on us. Petting or playing with a cat can help release feel-good chemicals in the brain, like serotonin and dopamine. And theres evidence to suggest that a cats purr can actually help lower blood pressure and relax the nervous system.
So if youre feeling stressed or anxious, spending some time with your cat may be just what the doctor ordered. Cats can help relieve stress and provide anti-anxiety benefits for their owners. And thats something we can all purr-tend to.
An additional, Playing with your cat or petting them can help lower stress and anxiety. This is because it releases all the right chemicals in the brain. There is also evidence that a cats purr can help lower blood pressure and relax the nervous system. So not only do cats make great stress relievers, but they also have other health benefits!
Does My Cat Have Separation Anxiety
If youre wondering if your cat has separation anxiety herself, its good to have an idea of what to look for.
The signs of separation anxiety in cats can vary from cat to cat. All cats are individuals and will express their distress differently, but typically you will see some of the most commonly expected behavioral problems, Young said.
Some of the most common signs of separation anxiety in cats includes:
- Destructive behaviors, like scratching and chewing inappropriate objects
- Inappropriate elimination
- Spraying/urine marking
They may even begin to attack near the door, Young said. I have seen instances where they will latch onto and bite the guardian’s leg as they attempt to leave the environment.
Other signs of separation anxiety include:
What Happens When A Cat Has A Panic Attack
What happens when a cat has an anxiety attack? When a cat has a panic attack, its eyes will typically widen and its behavior will change. Your cat may be hesitant to come to you and may respond quickly and sharply to stimuli. These panic attacks may develop life threatening conditions like hepatic lipidosis.D
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Is Cbd Safe For Cats
Yes, it absolutely is! Its natural for pet owners to wonder, is CBD oil safe? Veterinarians and scientific studies agree: CBD is well tolerated by cats. As we previously mentioned, CBD interacts with your cats ECS to provide general wellness. Every mammal on earth has an ECS, and it would be useless if not for cannabinoids like CBD interacting with it.
Very rarely does CBD have negative effects on your cat. If these effects do occur, they result from improper dosing or giving your cat more CBD than they can handle. These side effects are not life-threatening and are temporary. The worst that can happen is your cat becomes sleepy or has an upset stomach.
If you give your cat their recommended dose and they show some small side effects, you might want to lower their dose. As a cat owner, you need to know your cats optimal CBD dose to prevent these temporary side effects from occurring.
Cat Cbd For Anxiety Products
When it comes to treating your cats anxious behaviors, pet CBD oil is the best option. But which product is best for your cat? Well, well leave that up to you to decide. We provide plenty of diversity when giving CBD to your cat. Each product comes with specific dosing recommendations, so you need to know your cats optimal CBD dose before giving them one of these products.
Here are some amazing products to give your cat to calm anxiousness:
CBD Oil For Cats
HolistaPets broad spectrum CBD oil for cats is one of the most versatile ways to give CBD to your cat. You can administer CBD oil directly into their mouth or mix it into their food and water. In addition to CBD, youll also give your cat hemp seed oil, a nutrient-rich carrier oil that gives our CBD oil its subtle, earthy taste.
CBD Cat Treats
If your cat loves snacks , then these scrumptious treats are the perfect reward for your feline friend. Give your cat these CBD treats as a reward or a snack between meals.
CBD Calming Treats For Cats
For targeted relief from your cats anxious behaviors, give them HolistaPets CBD calming treats for cats. These treats are formulated to keep your cat calm, cool, and collected throughout the day. Give these to your cat before guests arrive, during thunderstorms or fireworks celebrations, or every day to ensure they live a calm, stress-free life. Our calming chews come in a yummy salmon flavor and two varieties: crunchy treats and soft chews.
CBD Capsules For Cats
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Cat Friendly Practices Can Help Reduce Stress
A trip to the veterinarian can be stressful for both you and your cat, including the just getting them into the pet carrier for the car ride to the the pet hospital. Cat Friendly Practices try to alleviate some of that burden.
Cat Friendly Practices are veterinary hospitals like ZippiVet that consistently take extra steps to care for cats unique needs, having implemented feline-friendly standards. We understand the needs of cats, seek to decrease their stress and provide a more calming environment. Our veterinary staff have also been trained in feline-friendly handling and understanding cat behavior in order to increase the quality of care for your cat. Call, text, or request an appointment online for your pet at one of ZippiVets four Austin area locations today.
What Are Ailurophobia Treatments
Exposure therapy is one of the main treatments for ailurophobia. During exposure therapy, a mental health professional introduces you to situations and images that may trigger your symptoms. They gradually help you manage your response. As many as 9 in 10 people with specific phobias see their symptoms improve after getting this type of psychotherapy .
During exposure therapy, you:
- Learn breathing and relaxation techniques to use before and during an exposure.
- View pictures or videos of cats.
- Practice holding a toy cat.
- Gradually progress to being near a cat in a carrier.
- Finally, touch a cat while having support from a therapist, family or friends.
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Can Pets Suffer From Anxiety
Many people suffer from anxiety at some point in their lives. Fortunately for humans, there are resources and tools readily available to help us decrease our anxieties. But what about our four-legged counterparts? Do they feel anxiety too? And if so, how can we best help them when they are unable to express whats plaguing them?
What Does A Person With Ailurophobia Fear
Someone with ailurophobia may be afraid of:
- Being attacked or jumped on by a cat.
- Coming across cats in public places, like outside, or private spaces, like a friends house.
- Finding or touching cat fur.
- Having evil spells cast on them by a cat.
- Seeing pictures of cats in books, magazines or online.
- Watching or hearing cats in TV shows or movies.
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What Are The Causes Of Cat Anxiety
The causes of cat anxiety are not fully understood. Anxiety and stress in cats are as complicated as they are in humans. There are a variety of physical, environmental, and psychological factors that may lead to feline anxiety. Here are some of the issues that may cause anxiety in cats:
Social Interactions
A cat that has not had much social exposure as a kitten is more prone to anxiety as adults in our homes. Thats why it is important to expose a kitten to social interaction with humans and other animals at an early age. It is a good idea to monitor social interactions while the cat is young to make sure the experience is positive. Negative experiences can create future anxieties for a young cat.
Weaned Too Early
Kittens who are taken from their mother too soon are more likely to display symptoms of cat separation anxiety. Orphaned kittens are also more prone to anxiety. Kittens shouldnt be removed from their cat family for at least eight weeks after birth, but handling from humans should occur before 7 weeks of age.
Genetics
Some breeds may be more prone to reactivity, but individual genetics plays a role as well. You cant change genetics but early socialization, mental stimulation, and exercise can help reduce anxiety in cats that are predisposed to the condition.
Changes In Environment
Spaying and Neutering
Your Own Anxiety
Traumatic Event
Other Underlying Health Problems
What Is A Panic Attack
Well start with the human version. MayoClinic.org defines it as a sudden episode of intense fear that triggers severe physical reactions when there is no real danger or apparent cause. A person may experience a wide range of symptoms, including:
- Shortness of breath
We kept our list of things we could observe in cats instead of feelings or other intangibles. If youve seen a cat frightened by something unexpected, you probably recognize many of these same signs. Your kitty may hiss and back away from you. It may strike at you or simply run away and disappear for a while. One of the other human symptoms is a fear of danger. That sounds like this frightened cat.
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Create A Secluded Space
Ensure your dog has a safe environment in which they can hide if they are anxious. Especially in the case of noise phobia, having a secluded space to hide can make your dog feel more secure. A crate can also be helpful in cases of separation anxiety or social anxiety.
Dogs respond differently to different interventions. What helps one dog may make another dogs anxiety even worse. Therefore, it may take some trial and error to find the best anxiety management tools for your dogs.
Spend Extra Time On Self
Pregnancy is a special time in a womans life in which she is often more concerned about her physical health and wellbeing. Putting some extra time aside to take care of yourself may help relieve some of your stress and anxiety.
Self-care practices include any activities that you can do to enhance your health and overall wellness. For example, your self-care activities can include some form of exercise, practicing stress management skills, and getting enough rest.
Consult your doctor to discuss what activities are safe to participate in during pregnancy.
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Behavior Modification To Relieve Cat Anxiety
If you try behavior modification, it will be up to you to put in the time and effort. As with all illnesses, it is best to start treatment early.
You will need to teach your cat some coping skills that can be used in a variety of settings. The goal of behavior modification is to change how your cat feels about a frightening stimulus . This change improves a cats prognosis instead of indefinitely avoiding the stimulus.
Two methods of behavior modification that may be recommended by your vet are desensitization and counterconditioning. Both of these methods require specific timing and the ability to read your cats body language and to notice the earliest signs of fear and stress.
Ask for help from your veterinarian or a veterinary behaviorist. If behavior modification does not work over the long-term, your veterinarian may want to modify the approach.
Desensitization
Desensitization is the repeated, controlled exposure to the stimulus that usually causes a fearful or anxious response. The key is that you expose your cat to the stimulus at a low level so that your cat does not show any signs of fear or stress.
A popular version involves playing a sound that your cat is afraid of at such a low volume that there is no fear or stress. After playing the sound three or four times at a low volume without a reaction, then you can increase the volume very slightly and repeat the process.
Counterconditioning
Can Health Problems Cause Anxiety Attacks
On the other hand, some serious health problems can cause anxiety attacks, such as heart or breathing problems. Have your symptoms checked by a caregiver to make sure they are not caused by a serious health problem. The main symptom of an anxiety attack is extreme fear. Other signs and symptoms are different from person to person.
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Acknowledge The Panic Attack
People spend most of their time in the two wrong places: the past or the future. In the past, you drown yourself in depression. In the future, youre scared for your life. But in the present, thats where you can find the most joy. While having a panic attack can be wildly unpleasant, its important to sit with yourself in the present moment and acknowledge it.
Tell yourself, Right now, Im having a panic attack. I feel scared, anxious, and worried that something will go wrong. However, right now nothing bad is happening right now. I am safe. I feel myself taking a deep breath in. I feel the oxygen entering my lungs. I feel my toes grounded on the floor. Im shaking my arms back and forth. This moment isnt perfect but it will pass. Good moments are up ahead. All I need to do is feel this present moment.
Can Cats Help With Panic Attacks
If you suffer from panic attacks, youre not alone. In fact, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, around 6 million American adults live with panic disorder. And while theres no one-size-fits-all solution for managing panic attacks, some people find that spending time with their feline friends can help to ease anxiety and promote feelings of calm.
So, how does this work? Well, its thought that the simple act of stroking a cat can help to release feel-good hormones like oxytocin and serotonin in the brain, which can in turn help to reduce stress and promote relaxation. Additionally, cats can provide much-needed companionship and emotional support, which can be extremely beneficial for those suffering from anxiety or depression.
Of course, not everyone will respond to cats in the same way, and some people may find that theyre actually allergic to them. However, if youre looking for a natural way to help manage your panic attacks, spending time with a furry friend could be worth a try.
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How Do You Calm A Cat Down That Has Anxiety
Some of the most popular products for cat anxiety are cat calming collars infused with pheromones, such as the Sentry HC cat calming collar. The pheromones in cat calming collars mimic those that mother cats produce to calm and soothe kittens, and they can also help to calm adult kitties.A
How Do Vets Determine The Cause Of Cat Anxiety
Your veterinarian will first want to rule out other conditions that might be contributing to your cat’s behavior, such as pain or thyroid disease.
This consists of a thorough physical exam, blood tests, and urine tests. Additional tests may be recommended depending on your cats results.
A thorough history is an essential part of establishing a diagnosis, and any videos you have of the behavior are also helpful. These will provide clues to the stimuli and situations that cause your cat to be anxious, if there is no medical cause found.
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Facial Expressions Of An Anxious Cat
- Your anxious cat is likely to have very wide, rounded eyes and very dilated pupils.
- Your cats ears will be flattened down to the sides, or in extreme situations, pressed back against their head so that they are no longer visible.
- Your cat may briefly lick their nose , possibly repeating this several times.
Visit The Vet For Cat Anxiety Medication
If all else fails, talk to your vet about prescription cat anxiety medication. He or she may want to prescribe something more short-term like gabapentin, or a longer-time resolution such as buspirone or amitriptyline. But never give your cat human anti-anxiety medication without first checking with your vet.
Remember, treating cat anxiety will probably be a lesson in patience and trial and error. Learn to recognize what, if anything, is triggering your cats anxiety and try the tips listed above. Dont be afraid to ask your vet for advice. An anxious cat deserves as much care and attention as an ill kitty.
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We Would Love The Opportunity To Care For Your Furry Friends
Alexander Animal Hospital is a full-service animal hospital located in Severna Park, Maryland, serving the Severna Park, Pasadena, and Arnold Areas. Our goal is educating clients on the needs of their pets and understanding the importance of individualized veterinary care in order to strengthen the human-animal bond between owners and their pets.
We understand you have a choice when deciding on the care for your pets, and we strive to provide you with unparalleled services including wellness exams, vaccines, lost pet microchip ID, dental care, surgical services, digital radiography, and in-hospital laboratory services and diagnostics. Other highlights of Alexander Animal Hospital are the separate cat and dog waiting and exam rooms, as well as after-hours on-call emergency services.
Please take a look around our website and then give us a call at 410-777-8678 to set up an appointment. Were social! Follow us on,, and for all the latest updates!
Not Just Psycho Kitties
Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome it not a life-threatening disorder, but for the cats who experience it, it can dramatically impact their quality of life. Even though once it appears it doesnt tend to progress or get much worse, FHS can put affected cats at risk for infections from scratching and biting at their own skin. And as you can imagine, the mental stress of constantly feeling tormented by a force from which they can never escape must be incredibly frustrating for them!
If you suspect that your cat may be suffering from FHS, please dont hesitate to discuss it with your veterinarian. Although FHS is not considered completely curable, with stress management techniques and the right use of medication, it is possible to manage it and give your kitty a happy, comfortable life.
Have you ever seen a cat with Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome? Please tell us about it in the comments below!
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