Cat Calming Products To Consider
There are a number of products on the market designed to help calm down anxious cats.
In addition to pheromone products that are available as diffusers, wipes or sprays, Calder sometimes recommends nutritional supplements that are designed to help anxious cats. You should always speak with your own veterinarian first before adding or changing your cats diet.
For some cats, Calder will prescribe medications to help reduce fear and anxiety.
Something Calder doesnt suggest to pet parents as acat anxiety treatment? Essential oils. Essential oils can be toxic to cats, especially if ingested.
Play Regularly To Reduce Chronic Stress
While play is not a good option for cats in a highly aroused state, it can be a valuable tool for dealing with chronic, or long-term, stress in cats. Play decreases stress in cats and can increase their confidence in places previously associated with fear, Johnson says. She notes that cats afraid of large rooms or unfamiliar environments can better acclimate to these areas through play. She recommends interactive play with a lure toy in these spaces. Additionally, Parry underlines the importance of providing daily, not just occasional, opportunities for play in order to reap its calming benefits.
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How To Calm Down A Cat
In general, Calder says its best to give cats plenty of space and provide ample hiding spots and vertical territory where they can retreat, relax, and calm down when theyre anxious or scared.
Jennifer Van de Kiefta certified feline training and behavior specialist who runs the consulting company Cat Advocate LLCalso notes that when it comes to cats and stress, its so much easier to prevent fear than it is to treat it.
That means pet parents should not only have foresight into what could frazzle their cat, but also work on advance training and familiarization for situations you know will arise in the futurelike a trip to the veterinarian.
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Make The Surroundings Safer:
Create safer surroundings for your kitten so that it can understand that there is nothing around it to stay scared. Most of the cats get anxious when you purchase something new in your home, when someone visits your home or when they find someone different in the surroundings. Create a safe hiding space for your kitten so it can hide under it without feeling threatened of foreign particles. Build a cat tree, cute basket room, couple of boxes, and corner spots for your cat to retreat your kitten. According to cat psychology, they are more likely to run away from the danger and hide under a safer and darker place to make themselves invisible. Your kitten might prefer a place that is higher and cozier spot until they feel safe again.
Reasons For Anger In A Cat
Unlike dogs, felines display a behavior more linked to the wild environment. Therefore, they are more complex and challenging when facing their training. In turn, the fact of being weaned and separated from their mother and siblings before 3 months of age predisposes them to manifest separation anxiety and stress.
Therefore, how will you be intuiting the main causes that explain the anger of a cat they have to do with changes in your routine that make you feel threatened in your privileged position. He feels that he can stop being the protagonist of the home and mobilizes his resources to reestablish the status quo.
If the origin of the anger lies in the presence of another animal or person who takes your full attention, you should allow your cat to become familiar with him or her. Use pheromone diffusers or provide objects with their scent so that they get to know each other. Never force him to come closer if he doesnt want to. The process must be approached gradually.
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Be Proactive With Your Aggressive Cat
In most cases, negative behavior can be fixed, especially if you catch it early on. Getting your cat spayed or neutered can also reduce aggression. In some cases, these procedures can completely eliminate a myriad of negative behaviors.
No matter what, make sure your cats have their very own safe place to hang out, relax, and spend quiet alone time. The Litter-Robot Cat Silo is a unique escape for your cat, but it is disguised as an elegant piece of furniture for your household so it wont stick out.
This piece of furniture can provide a safe and covered space for your cat to hang out in, and it is small enough so that it fits perfectly next to a chair or by the couch. This multi-purpose furniture piece is the perfect addition to any home. Plus, your cat will appreciate having his or her own space to hang out in!
If youre wondering how to calm an aggressive cat, follow the tips above. Talk to your veterinarian or an animal behaviorist for further advice.
Cover photo by Jay Zhang
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What Are The Signs That Your Cat Is Angry
Is there a bit of calm before the storm when it comes to a cats temper usually cats rarely attack without warning. While cats can be seemingly random in their attacks and with their anger. Felines typically display signs before they buy scratch yell etc.
As a cat owner especially if youre a new owner knowing these signs can potentially allow you to defuse a situation before it begins. Symptoms of anger can include
- Quick swishes of the tail This usually means that your cat is on the brink of lashing out, perhaps even seconds away this is a warning that whatever the trigger is needs to stop immediately.
Your cat distancing itself from you is also a sign if youre petting or playing with your cat and your feline decides to put some space between you, its best to respect this space. This means Im done .
As an owner its best to stop playtime stop the petting session and allow you to cat some space this is your cats way of showing visible annoyance.
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Give Some To Your Cat To Adjust The Situation
If the hacks mentioned above dont help you calm your cats up, you should definitely give them some time and space to relax. The best way is to leave them alone for some time.
So, grab a towel and carry them to their bed and pet them a bit to comfort them up. The purpose of towels is to avoid them from harming you up by any means.
Approach Your Cat Gradually
Be it humans or cats, when one is angry. They display similar behavior. Lets think about what happens when you are mad? We assume you would want people to leave you alone for a while. Similarly, if your cat is angry, it would be best not to have any physical contact with it. If you would try to pet your angry cat, you may encounter scratches and bites!
Besides, it would be better to try communicating with your angry cat in a low tone, and please do not yell at it! You can also take your cats favorite toy and place it near your cat. You do not have to play with your cat when it is angry necessarily. Else you would suffer the consequences.
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Provide A Safe Cozy Environment With Vertical Space
Cats can be fearful of large, open spaces, Johnson says, so make sure kitty has a cozy spot where he can retreat in times of stress. Some cats are more bush-dwellers, so they like to stay hidden and under things, she says, noting that cats gain a lot of comfort and solace in being up high. She recommends providing both types of spacesa cat tree or elevated bed for a cat to get vertical and survey the area, and tucked-away spaces in which to hide. But make sure youre never cornering the cat. Always give cats a way out of a situationan escape routevertical or otherwise, Parry advises.
Even when transporting your cat in a carrier, its best to employ the cozy rule to keep her calm. For most cats, covering up the carrier and blocking any extra stimuli is helpful, Parry saysa towel or blanket will work fine. But when dealing with a carriera common source of anxietytraining and acclimating your cat is the only surefire way to ease her fear. I liken it to training a dog to walk on leash, Parry says. We wouldnt want a dog guardian to skip this step, and acclimating a cat to the carrier should be an early focus for the cat guardian. For help in this area, train your cat to view the cat carrier in a positive light and consult with a cat behaviorist if that doesnt work.
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Anxiety Vs Aggression: Whats The Difference
Managing an angry cat is different than managing an anxious cat, even if the anger comes from an underlying fear.
- Pulls their tail close to their body
- Shies away from what scares them
An angry cat:
- Looks ready to attackfur standing on end, head tilted, ears back
- Has dilated pupils
- Howls
If a cat has crossed the line into anger, dont try to cuddle or pet them. The latter may come across as approval of aggressive behavior. Instead, step away from the cat and give them some space. Once the cat is no longer actively aggressive, its possible to address and soothe the underlying feelings of anxiety or anger.
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How To Get An Angry Cat To The Vets
Here at petGuard we firmly fall into the cat lovers category, but even as feline fans, there are times when our moggies can drive us crazy. Just as children hate going to the dentist, many cats are terrified of the vets. Unless your cat has always had good vet experiences, they may have some residual trauma from a previous trip. After all, most domestic pets do get neutered or spayed, which as you can imagine is not a pleasant experience for them! That may explain some of those horrible growling, howling or hissing noises which cats make, that when combined with the vicious swiping and baring of their sharp teeth makes them seem like guardians of hell.
Don’t forget that these are mini versions of big cats like tigers, and though too small to kill you, can certainly do some damage!
So, if your cat has become wary of the vet, here’s a few tips to stop that simple visit from turning into a nightmare.
Keep Kittys Essentials Accessible
One anxiety-easing practice that cat owners sometimes neglect is taking care of their basic needs in a cat-centric manner, Parry says. Sounds easy enough, but cat-centric means doing whats best for your cat, not for you or your home, which can be a tough adjustment. Give cats things that they need in the places where they feel most comfortable, Johnson says. So that means that if your cat pretty much lives in your master bedroom, and they love to be in there but theyre too scared to come out, dont put their cat litter box in the basement and their cat food in the kitchen. Placing cat essentials in far apart or potentially scary rooms can cause chronic stress, so observe your cats preferences closely. While we may not love having a litter box in the bedroom, sometimes sacrifices must be made for our feline roommates.
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How To Calm An Aggressive Cat
Before you move on to resolving your cats aggressive behavior, you must trace out the root cause of the behavior. Sometimes, when your cat is angry, it has got some valid reasons. For example, any other cat may bother your little friend a lot while it goes outside to socialize, similar to if your cat encounters a bully. As a result, it would become angry indeed.
Once you are sure that whatever behavior your cat portrays suggests that it is angry, then move on to finding the source of its outrageous behavior. Next, it would be best to take a few measures gradually to calm down your angry cat. Lets have a light on a few tips on how to calm down an angry cat
Take A Professional Help
Last but not least is to take your kitty to the vet as there might be an underlying cause behind such a behavior. Health issues such as physical or emotional may provoke anxiety in them when would make your cat angry.
Therefore, if you cant call them up by following any technique, book an appointment, take them to the vet and get a proper check-up. Meds may help them improve, but they also need your comforting behavior at the same time.
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Why Is My Cat Aggressive
Generally, aggressive cat behaviour occurs for four main reasons:
1. The cat is behaving defensively for self-protection. A cats first strategy whenever faced with danger is to run away, but sometimes this isnt possible. When this happens, your cat might resort to aggressive behaviour instead. When a cat behaves defensively in this way it is because they are frightened. This may be due to a previous negative experience with people or a lack of socialisation as a young kitten, which is the time when positive lessons are learned.
2. The cat is playing, albeit roughly. Kittens often play fight with our hands which seems cute when they are young. As they get older and stronger the hand biting and scratching is no longer fun for us so we dont respond in the same way as before. This can be very confusing for the grown-up cat, who still wants to play in this way. The cat will likely feel conflicted as they dont want to experience the negative consequences that they now face when we try and deter the behaviour.
3. The cat is frustrated. This is often referred to as redirected aggression. A typical example is when a cat sees a strange cat outside through a window and then attacks the owner, or sometimes another cat who is nearby.
Cat Scared Of The Car How To Calm Down A Nervous Cat
As much as you might like to have your kitty join you on vacation, cats are creatures of habit and probably won’t care much for the change in routine and scenery a vacation offers. Some cats become very nervous in unfamiliar situations, like cars. They might start meowing loudly or even get sick. If this sounds like your cat, you need every tip you can find to help calm down your cat in the car.
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Other Types Of Aggression
Some cats exhibit learned aggression when an aggressive display successfully removes the source of fear, pain, or territorial intrusion, the behavior is reinforced, and the cat learns to use aggression in future encounters.
Another category of aggression is pathophysiologic, which includes aggressive behaviors that are not typical for domestic cats. Neurologic disorders stemming from conditions such as infections, trauma, or parasite infestations can lead to abnormal behaviors. Aggression due to psychomotor seizures is another rare type of pathophysiologic aggression.
Finally, idiopathic aggression is a catchall for aggressive displays that appear to be unpredictable and for which the underlying cause is unknown. However, most cases in this category probably have a legitimate etiology, but the pertinent information has not yet been elucidated. Cases of redirected aggression or fear-related aggression that resulted from circumstances the owner did not observe are likely to end up in this category. Instruct owners to always be cautious around a cat that behaves aggressively because of an unknown stimulus. Unpredictability increases the danger posed by the cat, and euthanasia should be considered for any cat that is unpredictably aggressive, especially when aggressive arousal typically results in attacks and injuries.
How To Help An Aggressive Cat
If youve ever come face to face with an aggressive cat, you know just how terrifying those cute little things can be! There are many causes of aggression in cats and its up to us to pinpoint which type of aggression so we can begin to work on resolving the causes. Regardless of the type of aggression, lets first look at how to de-escalate an attack.
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Lack Of Food Or Water
Other issues for your felines anger and displeasure can include lack of food or water. When you that becomes needy in this department it may resort to some form of aggression, just to get your attention, although this is a bit rare in most cases. The direct response to a fight with another animal can stimulate your cat in a very negative way and make them very hypersensitive and angry.
This is typically a situation where your cat is at odds with another animal and then takes it out on you moments later. This is why you should always use extreme caution when attempting to break up a cat fight.
Stay Close But Not Too Close
Many cats don’t like to be held or hugged when they’re upset. Humans, on the other hand, tend to love physical contact when they’re feeling stressed. You’ll need to reign in that instinct when you’re dealing with a stressed cat, though, or you might make it worse.
Stay near your cat when you’re trying to calm her down. Speak soothingly or sing a lullaby. Pet her if she seems to desire it, but don’t grab her or hug her. If she comes to you and climbs on your lap, of course, you should allow her to get as close as she wants, but let her be in control.
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