Anxiety and stress can be detrimental to our health and cause various health issues. The same goes for our pets – prolonged stress and anxiety also have a negative effect on their wellbeing and behaviour. Animaltalk asked Kathy Clayton, Animal Behaviour Consultant for dogs and cats, how to identify stress and anxiety in our pets and what to do about it.
Is there a difference between anxiety and stress in cats and dogs?
Both dogs and cats can show signs of stress and anxiety. Stress and anxiety can be caused by many things, and it is how each dog and cat reacts to this that might differ. So, they will react to anxiety and stress, but each species in specific ways.
What are the typical signs of stress in dogs and cats?
DOGS Signs of stress and anxiety in dogs include:
- The dog cannot settle. He might be whining, barking, moving around and/or pacing up and down.
- He might even be panting, licking his lips, yawning, trembling and messing in the house even though he is housetrained.
- In worst-case scenarios, owners might see dogs destroying objects in the house, like chewing furniture and wooden objects or even ripping the stuffing out of soft furnishings.
CATS Signs of stress and anxiety in cats include:
- She might be hiding away to get away from the stress.
- She may be licking herself and over-grooming to the point where it causes damage to her skin.
- Your cat might get cystitis (a blocked bladder), as she doesn’t want to use the litterbox.
- Vomiting, diarrhoea and loss of appetite leading to weight loss can be other signs.
- Loud vocalisation could start.
- Aggression towards her owner or other humans.
- In extreme cases, she might mess around the house and also spray inside the house. (Even sterilised cats can spray.)
What can owners do to help their pets relax?
With dogs
- Owners need to be calm when they’re around their dogs, and shouldn’t make too much fuss in their presence. If you give him a lot of attention when he’s stressed and anxious, your dog will soon start to play up to get this attention. Ignoring him can help – only give him attention when he is calm.
- Another way to calm your dog is to do some training with him, but don’t place him into a stressful situation at a training school if he gets stressed around other dogs. In that case, rather do training and fun things at home. I love brain games – such a snuffle mats, licking mats and Kongs stuffed with food. Your dog can play with these toys when he is left alone.
- Other good brain games are by Nina Ottosson. Playing a game can stimulate your dog’s brain and he will become tired and less stressed.
- Most of all, the owner needs to be calm and not stressed, because a stressed owner will affect their dog and he will then become stressed as well.
With cats
- Owners need to make as little fuss as possible if they notice that their cat is stressed. Be as calm as you can and never get angry if your cat is being aggressive.
- There is a good pheromone spray – Feliway – available from vets, that you can spray around the house. This spray mimics natural feline messages or ‘happy messages’ and helps cats feel comfortable and secure. There are also cat collars with feel-good pheromones available and health shops also sell herbal remedies.
- It is very important that owners provide safe spaces for their cats to go to when they are feeling stressed.
- If the stress in your cat gets worse, speak to your vet about calming medication.
Do pets stress more now than they used to 10 or 20 years ago?
Yes, I believe that significantly more dogs are stressed nowadays than in years gone by. I deal with a large number of stressed pets now, and many more now than I did pre-COVID-19.
Owners tend to fuss and stress about their dogs and cats so much more. They want the best for their dogs (especially rescue dogs) and, so, they sometimes push these dogs into situations that stress them out. Many dogs don’t want to go to the park or doggy daycare, for example, but their owners think that this is what they need and, of course, the dogs then get stressed. Owners’ good intentions can inadvertently cause a lot of stress in their dogs and cats. Therefore, it is very important to evaluate your own behaviour first, and then how you handle your pets, as this could be adding stress to their lives.
