Cats are known to be stoic and enduring animals. Spotting the signs of anxiety can be difficult since the indicators can be very subtle.
Some common anxiety behaviors include:
- Excessive hiding from other animals/humans
- States of unrest, pacing, and unwarranted alertness
- Elimination (urinating or defecating) outside of the litter box
- Over-grooming (to the point where they give themselves bald patches)
- Lack of playtime/physical activity
- Aggression towards other animals/humans
- Vomiting
- Reluctance to eat or drink
- Following owners around throughout the house/demanding more attention than usual
The extra-tricky part with these behaviors is that many of them can be triggered by medical issues rather than stress. We recommend that if you see these behaviors in your cat that you schedule an appointment with your veterinarian. Your veterinarian can run tests to rule out other diagnoses (such as thyroid disorder, intestinal problems, etc.) and go over what may be causing the stress of your feline friend.