Infographic on anxiety-reducing products for domestic cats

Anxiety-reducing products for cats in an infographic

Anxiety-reducing products for cats in an infographic by MikeB. It is free to use under a Creative Commons: ATTRIBUTION-NODERIVS CC BY-ND license. If you want to share it or use it yourself, please click on the image first and then right click the image which is presented in a new window. You’ll see it larger as well.

Anxiety is a massive issue with domestic cats. It is often a hidden condition because cats hide their anxiety and sometimes their caregiver is insufficiently involved with their cat to recognise it.

But if a cat is hiding a lot and behaves in a fearful way, he/she will be feeling anxious. And you can presume that a timid cat will feel anxious in a noisy, busy environment or when and if bullied by another cat in a multi-cat home. It is the opposite emotion that a responsible caregiver wants their cat to feel.

It is a great pleasure and one of the prime objectives of a cat caregiver to engender a feeling of calm and contentment in their cat. This is what cat welfare is all about.

These products should be a stop gap measure except for play which should happen regularly and permanently in an ideal world. The underlying cause needs to be isolated and if possible, removed. This is not always possible hence the infographic.

Anxious cat painting by an AI computer

This is a unique image ‘painted’ digitally on command by me. I asked it to paint an anxious cat. I gave not help or input.

Anxious cat painting created by an AI computer

Anxious cat painting created by an AI computer. I believe that this is a unique image that is copyright free. Click it for a larger version.

Living with a timid cat

Living with a timid cat can be frustrating. There are rewards however. One that comes to mind immediately is that they are less adventurous which means they are less likely to get into trouble and be harmed. It is the young, bold, confident male cats that are allowed outside that tend to end up being run over on the road.

Another reward is that you can give a timid cat confidence with your love and caregiving. You can see them progress which I think is very pleasurable.

The downside is that they are less likely to be engaging and to come forward. Normally people like domestic cats to be confident because they seek interactions with their caregiver.

Some guideline on interacting with a timid cat

  • Let your fearful cat find their own hiding place and don’t try and force an interaction with him or her.
  • You can gradually reduce their fearfulness by desensitising him or her to the things that make them fearful. But this cannot be forced in any way.
  • Avoid direct eye contact because this might be scary for shy cats.
  • If they’ve shown a slight aversion to being petted and stroked, avoid it and use gentle words instead combined with some nice treats.
  • Playing with a fearful cat will help to tease out some confidence. Playing with your cat is a great healer on many fronts. This is because play for a cat is hunting which is instinctive and which gives them purpose and pleasure.
  • Stick to routines because when a cat follows a routine it gives them confidence because they feel certain about what will happen in the future. The environment becomes more predictable and predictability leads to calmness.

Below are some more pages on anxiety which may assist.

Gabapentin combined with a behaviour modification program can substantially improve rescue cats' rehabilitation and therefore chances of adoption after being rescued from a cat hoarding environment

Gabapentin substantially improves adoption rate of shelter cats rescued from a hoarding environment

Cats living with a cat hoarder are almost invariably neglected. They are often only partly socialised, stressed and unhealthy. After ...
Neurotic cat owners perceive their cat differently

Cat owners with negative feelings are more likely to report cat problems

Human character can be categorised in five ways which must overlap to varying extents. They are: Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Neuroticism ...
New cat

Animal shelters are reluctant to allow a person to foster a cat if they have an existing cat

There appears to be a distinct difference in opinion between animal shelters and cat owners. I'm told that there is ...
Female vets dominate the profession in 2023

Compared to the past, more cats like men for this reason

There was a time when you could ask this question, "Why do some cats hate men?" Around 20 years ago ...
Vet with cat. The way it should be.

Has your cat been traumatised by a visit to the vet?

I was reading a section by Dr. Desmond Morris in his book Catlore and he suggested that sometimes domestic cats ...
Useful tag. Click to see the articles: Cat behavior

Note: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified.
Useful links
Anxiety - reduce it
FULL Maine Coon guide - lots of pages
Children and cats - important

Michael Broad

Hi, I'm a 74-year-old retired solicitor (attorney in the US). Before qualifying I worked in many jobs including professional photography. I love nature, cats and all animals. I am concerned about their welfare. If you want to read more click here.

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