Alterations to your cat's sleep pattern, appetite and level of energy may all be signs that they are becoming stressed. As the stress worsens and accumulates over time, your cat may exhibit signs such as aggression, trembling, excessive grooming or meowing, and unpredictable urination.
Think food puzzles to engage minds and bodies, vertical space for climbing and surveying their domain, scratching posts, safe outdoor access (like a catio), window perches and interactive play. “Play is an important part of relieving stress,” Delgado says. “It helps cats release those feel-good hormones.”
Changes in your cat's behaviour include:
Avoiding situations or people more than usual eg not wanting to interact with you anymore. Hiding away for long periods of time. Toileting or spraying in the home.
Cats are Fuzzy Stress Relievers
When you've had a hard day, coming come and spending some time petting a fuzzy feline can cause your body to produce stress reducing hormones. When you do so, your heart rate and blood pressure decrease and your anxiety levels normalize.
Sorry to break it to you, but human meows mean nothing to cats. At most, you can get your cat's attention and they may even appreciate your attempts to communicate by purring or even meowing back. But to most cats, human meows sound like human language.
Smell Transfer
Cats recognize each other (and us) by scent. Raising the butt is your cat's way of getting their anal glands closer to your nose so you can get a whiff of their pheromones. This is how cats introduce themselves to other cats.
Cat anxiety symptoms include:
Hiding, pacing, crouching defensively. New aggressive or overly clingy behavior. Meowing way more than usual. Coat changes from not grooming or bald patches from over-grooming.
They have relaxed body language
If your cat tends to sit like a perfect loaf, with their paws tucked under their body, their tail wrapped around them, and their eyes closed or softly open, these are all signs that they are feeling happy and comfortable in their environment.
Constant, loud TV and music, dogs barking and people shouting might be stressful. So is too much touching. What you can do: Pay attention to your cat's body language. Cats are open to being petted and played with but be sure you're in tune with your cat's attitude towards touching.
When you are with your cat, keep your voice gentle and encouraging. Sit down next to your pet, rather than standing over them which can feel threatening. Stroke their head or back and give them a treat or two to encourage them to sit down with you. Give your cat their own space.
Stressful Situation 1: Changes to Your Home
Here are some changes that often cause cats to stress: Rearranging or purchasing new furniture. Renovations and remodelling. Clutter and mess.
Cats Can Purr When Stressed
This is similar to how people can soothe themselves by laughing or crying. You can tell if your cat is stress purring by picking up on their other cues — are they otherwise content, or are they fidgety, agitated and on edge? If so, they might just need a little alone-time in a quiet room.
Regular grooming is also a sign of a happy, healthy feline friend. Making Biscuits. A good sign of a happy cat is kneading their paws into their bed, blanket, or your stomach. This behavior is often accompanied by purring, usually another signal of contentment.
Symptoms of angry cat behaviour
They will try to look large and threatening, with fur erect, stiff front legs, or crouching in a threatening manner. Their ears will be tense, and flat back against their head, and whiskers will be stiff away from their face.
Cats are often considered to be uncaring or disinterested toward their human family members, but this isn't true. Although cats don't need as much constant attention as most dogs, they do connect and bond with their humans, and they feel unhappy when separated for too long.
Signs Cats Worry About Their Humans
Recent studies have shown that cats notice if their humans are absent, especially for a longer period of time than it takes to go buy milk. When the human returns, the cat who was so affectionate before may walk away or appear to sulk.
Your Cat Stares at You to Show Affection
Cats can use staring as a nonverbal way of communicating. Even though a long, unblinking stare may not be the best way for humans to show affection, when your fur baby does this, it may mean they're showing love to their favourite owner.
Cats are often quite independent creatures but if they have a strong bond with you, they may simply follow you around because they want to be near to you and see what you're up to. Or perhaps they're waiting for you to sit down so they can jump on your lap for a snooze.
Headbutting is a way for cats to mark you with pheromones and bond with you. However, sometimes headbutting can be a way for cats to seek attention. As a general rule, cats like to be scratched under the chin and on the head, so a cat may just be presenting their head to you for some attention and good scratches.