Questions
- Why does my cat get nervous?
- How can I calm my cat down?
Cats are naturally quite flighty critters but they will often hide their stress until it all gets too much and they can’t hide it any longer. Cats have evolved to be alert so very few things get past them without taking notice. All cats can become stressed or overactive for different reasons and they also react to things in different ways.
Some worried cats will hide away while others might chase you around swatting at your toes to let out some of that anxious energy. It’s not uncommon for cats to get a case of the zoomies when they get anxious so there are lots of different situations where you may find yourself having to calm your kitty down.
Why does my cat get nervous?
Every cat is an individual so they will tend to get nervous over different things. However, there are some common triggers that can often cause cats to become stressed. Things like loud noises can startle our feline friends; as smaller predators they still need to be aware of other threats in the environment. Periods of celebration like bonfire night or New Year’s Eve can cause a lot of distress in cats with constant bangs and loud noises ringing out throughout the evening.
Busy periods like Christmas can also cause distress, especially if it’s your turn to host the family meal and there are lots of hungry mouths to feed, plenty of noise and kids running around to play with their new toys. All of these periods can be worrying for a moggy who likes their peace and quiet. Whenever their routine is upset and they don’t have their usual calm surroundings, they may need a little help settling down.
How can I calm my cat down?
There are several different methods for calming down your cat and making sure they’re nice and relaxed. A stressed cat will sometimes need space, if they want to hide away it’s important to let them. If you have a way of removing whatever is causing them stress then it can calm them down much faster. If they’re worried by new people you can help them by keeping them in a room away from strangers to help them settle. Some stressors are a lot harder to avoid.
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Environmental or occasional stressors like storms and fireworks make it a little harder to protect your four legged friend from feeling stressed. When you can’t remove the trigger then you should instead look for ways to help your kitten feel calm while they may still be happening. This can come in the form of distraction or even medication in severe circumstances.
Feliway Pheromone Diffuser
The Feliway Pheromone Diffuser is a diffuser that plugs directly into the wall and gradually releases a chemical that mimics the pheromones a mother cat produces to soothe her kittens. After a month of use, cat owners notice their feline friends returning to their normal behaviour and settling down with a reduction in stress behaviours. Even as they grow up, they don’t become immune to these calming pheromones and they still aid in giving your moggy a sense of serenity.
As it can take a month to really take effect (although you will likely notice positive effects before the period) it’s best to plan ahead if you know something is coming up. Events like bonfire night are easy enough to predict since they come around every year so you can start treating for stress a month in advance to be sure your beloved pet is feeling their best self by the time the occasion rolls around.
The Feliway diffuser is best plugged into an area where your cat frequently rests to be sure they come into plenty of contact with the calming pheromones.
Calming Spot On
If you aren’t able to provide calming pheromones a month in advance then Beaphar Calming Spot on for Cats might be a better choice of calming product for your feline friend. The spot-on works just like a flea treatment, you apply it between their shoulder blades by parting the fur and applying it directly to the skin. It contains valerian extract which works by causing an increase in the neurotransmitter, gamma-aminobutyric. When an animal is stressed, neurons in their brain pass along that information to nerve transmitters.
Valerian extract helps by blocking these messages from being transmitted so the stress response is slowed down and they are instead much more calm. The calming spot-on can be reapplied once a week and lasts that full week to enable longer periods of calm for your moggy.
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LickiMat Casper Orange
Sometimes you may not need any kind of chemical intervention and stressful situations can just be distracted from. Not all stressful things last a long time, maybe your neighbours are just doing a spot of DIY and you’re looking at an hour or two, maximum. In these situations, you don’t have the preparation time to make sure you are treating them in advance for potential stressors. It’s not just pheromones and supplements that can keep a cat calm but you can promote feelings of calm by encouraging them to do activities that will usually help them to settle. If you’ve ever watched your moggy before they settle down for a nice nap, they tend to groom themselves to relax. Licking is a naturally relaxing behaviour and if you’re looking for ways to help calm them then this can really help.
Lickimats are usually flat rubber pads that have lots of different grooves and ridges along them. A lickimat like the LickiMat Casper Orange is the perfect size for most cats and you can spread either their wet food or a treat like Webbox Cats Delight Lick-E-Lix with Chicken Cat Treats across it. Licking food from the surface not only takes longer because of the ridges but it helps to soothe them and relax them.
Enrichment feeders are a great way to soothe short lived stressful situations while you may need something longer lasting for busier periods. Find everything you need to keep your cat chill and all of your other feline necessities in store and online.