this post was submitted on 11 Sep 2023

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Why is my cat so anxious? (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 year ago by favrion@lemmy.world to c/cat@lemmy.world

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This is Cleo. She is 2.5 years of age. I have posted about her before actually. I worry about her because she gets so anxious that it harms her. She has had an outbreak of hives on her skin, especially her ears, for the last week or so, and she has been picky about when and what she wants to eat, if at all. We got a kitten in June and she gets along with him, so I don't think that's the issue. Most of the time we find Cleo hiding and terrified of human contact, and we have to be very gentle with her. She does not like eating with her siblings. They were all born here in a stable, non-abusive environment by the way. Lately she has been bonding with me, but on her terms. Is this something that requires veterinary intervention?

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[–] Paraponera_clavata@lemmy.world 51 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Sounds like you need to go to a vet.

How do you know anxiety caused the hives? Couldn't the hives have caused the anxiety? Or couldn't they be separate?

Take it to a vet, if you haven't already.

[–] Moonguide@lemmy.ml 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This. The kitty could be experiencing pain, and cats aren't like dogs who loudly announce their discomfort. They're like grumpy old men with stiff upper lips.

I had a cat whom I let be an outdoor cat, and hadn't taken him to get his last couple shots. He caught feline aids one day and became sort of aggressive to everyone but me. Not like he was very affectionate but still, he isolated himself more and more until the end.

[–] LanternEverywhere@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Fyi dogs actually very often hide their pain too.

[–] Moonguide@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Really? Damn, all dogs I've ever had were very vocal about everything. Might've been the breed ig.

[–] assassinatedbyCIA@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Isn’t the theory that animals that show pain are more likely to be attacked by predators because they show signs of weakness. Therefore, they tend to hide it.

[–] Noodle07@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Make sense for cats as they're both predators and preys

[–] lechatron@lemmy.today 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Dogs are predators though, I think what you're talking about applies to herd animals that are prey, predators will pick off the weakest.

I always thought that pack animals abandoned their sick or injured to not slow down the rest of the pack which is why dogs hide injuries. But apparently wolves protect their injured.

[–] bingbong@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 year ago

African wild dogs take care of their injured too and let them stay behind with the young while the healthy adults hunt ❤️

[–] LanternEverywhere@kbin.social 9 points 1 year ago

Seriously, you have a pet with a health problem, this is exactly what vets are for. Whether it's a problem that's physical, mental, or environmental, the vet is the one best able to figure out what the problem is and how to solve it.

[–] Rakonat@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

Warms my heart when all the top comments direct the OP to seek professional help.

TAKE HER TO THE VET

[–] favrion@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

She's been anxious for her whole life thus far.

[–] Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 year ago

Our anxious cat had her teeth removed (feline resorption) and we noticed she was much bolder while she was on gabapentin to recover from the dental surgery. We talked to the vet and he put her on a daily dose of it. We experimented to find the smallest amount that gave her Courage without making her sleepy. (Having her painful teeth out helped a lot too, but it wasn't her whole problem.) Now for normal days she gets 25 mixed into one can of food and spread throughout the day, but for a recent airplane trip she had 75 in one small meal before being put in her carrier.

[–] DocMcStuffin@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago

Time to see a vet.

One of my cats has both a food allergy and is higher anxiety. I caught her ripping her fur out a couple of days after I brought her home. We put her on a prescription diet, and I give her medication for the anxiety. She does much better now. Her anxiety will never completely go away. I know some of it comes from either neglect or abuse from her original owners.

[–] SlipperyCircle@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

We found out around that time our cat was allergic to seafood. We switched to an all chicken diet and has improved.

[–] Chozo@kbin.social 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

She looks like a Russian Blue. This breed is actually quite susceptible to feline hyperesthesia, which it sounds like may possibly be the case with yours, given the mention of the skin problem she has.

I had a Russian Blue a long time ago with this condition, and it was awful to see her outbursts. She would become very anxious and aggressive during these episodes, and would often start violently biting and scratching at herself, sometimes even attacking anybody who would try to help calm her down. But when the episode would pass, she'd go immediately back to her loving, affectionate self as if nothing had happened.

If you can, I definitely recommend getting her checked by a vet. Hopefully it's not feline hyperesthesia, but if so, there are medications that will help with it.

[–] favrion@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

I mean, she does have shorter plots of fur near both of her thighs.

[–] Knoxvomica@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Have you tried pheromones such as feliway? They're a wall plug that can help calm cats. The other thing is how many cats / animals do you have in the house hold? Make sure there are enough litter boxes (total cats + 1), water and food.

[–] favrion@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

1 dog and 5 cats including her. We have enough litter boxes, water, and food.

[–] qooqie@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I hate to suggest it, but maybe someone is abusing her and you just don’t see it? I don’t know how big your household is if it’s just you I apologize.

[–] favrion@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

No, nobody is abusing her.

[–] Ashyr@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 year ago

We had an anxious cat and give her half-a-pill of gabapentin with wet food every morning and evening and it has made a huge difference in her quality of life.

[–] Ragnell@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Hives suggests she's allergic to something. Yeah, see a vet.

[–] bingbong@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 year ago

I second this. I had a similar problem with my cat, steroids and flea medication fixed her right up. Vet said it's usually allergies.

[–] spittingimage@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

I also have a very nervous cat. What's helped her is switching to a biscuit brand containing tryptophan. She's much more willing to leave her hiding spots and relax in the sun now.

[–] betterdeadthanreddit@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

Found this excerpt from a documentary on the subject of feline mental health.