Is your cat depressed? Sad? Have you stopped eating? At the moment in which we observe our pet apathetic and without desire to play, it is normal to worry although, calm down, sometimes it can happen for reasons beyond our control. From these symptoms, we must determine the causes that have caused our feline to be sad in order to help him recover his usual emotional state.
In this article on our site we will propose some of the most common causes of depression so you can find out why your cat is depressedand we will propose some advice and practical solutions to try to alleviate this situation.
Keep reading and discover some tricks that our site offers you:
Symptoms of depression in cats
Cats, like people, are social animals susceptible to emotional problems. For this reason, knowing the character of our cat is essential to be able to quickly detect a change in its mental state.
Even so, sometimes it is difficult to detect sadness in our beloved cats since they are usually very calm animals. It can also happen if we have recently adopted him and we do not know his daily routine well. If you have detected any of the the following symptoms, your cat may be suffering from depression or simply sad for some reason:
- Changes in the character: fear, aggressiveness, destructiveness…
- Notable increase in hours of sleep
- Decreased desire to play and exercise
- Changes in the way you relate to people
- Little interest in exploring stimuli
- He does not sharpen his nails or noticeably increases this habit
- Change of Hygiene habits: stops cleaning himself or does it compulsively
- Lack of or markedly increased appetite, which may include manifestations such as incessant meowing
- Inactivity, apathy and lack of interest
- Problems with urine and stools: stop using the litter box, defecate in inappropriate places…
- He spends many hours hiding
- Aparecen he alth problems caused by stress and anxiety
Although these symptoms can be indicators of depression in cats, they can also alert you to the presence of some ailment, for this reason if you see your dog without eating or with a very different attitude than usual, you We recommend that you go to the vet to rule out a possible disease Don't forget that the specialist is the only person truly qualified to diagnose depression or find out a possible problem in your state of He alth.
Why can a cat be sad? - Causes of depression in felines
There are many causes that can cause sadness or depression in our pet, but to detect the exact cause we must review some significant factor that there is could trigger this emotional problem. Below we explain the most common causes of depression in cats:
- Change of residence or family: Some people claim that cats are independent and solitary animals, but this is certainly not the case. Cats are social animals and feel very affected when a change of housing happens or away from their loved ones.
- Loneliness: Although their character is not comparable to that of dogs, cats suffer when they spend long periods of time alone. In these cases it is ideal to offer intelligence toys and even think about adopting a partner. Affection and displays of affection are important to the cat.
- Bad relationship with another member of the household: A prolonged or recent enmity can cause our cat to be distrustful, isolated and unwilling to spend time with us.
- Baby's Arrival: The arrival of the baby is a reason for happiness, but not always for everyone. If you have neglected the attention to your cat or you have not adequately prepared him for his arrival, your cat may feel sad and displaced
- Adopting a dog or cat: The "competition" for food, the best place on the couch or your touch can cause sadness and severe depression in your cat. Before the arrival of a new member it is very important to continue paying attention to our feline
- Disease: As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, an illness can radically change the character of our cat, making it apathetic, not wanting to eat and sad. Going to the vet is essential whenever we detect any anomaly.
- Stress and anxiety: Fights, punishments, mistreatment and even the lack of some of the freedoms of animal welfare can lead to high levels of stress and anxiety. It is very important to offer our pet the best care so that it feels happy to be by our side.
- Traumatic shock: An attack or a terrible experience can lead our cat to suffer from depression and sadness. In these cases, the ideal is to go to the specialist so that he can offer us personalized guidelines for the specific case.
Each of these reasons may or may not affect the pet and it is only if we know it well that we can determine what factors have altered the cat's safety and peace of mind. If these causes fall seriously in the psychology of our pet, they can be the cause of reluctance, apathy and even high levels of stress, depending on the case.
Treatment of depression in cats
Depression directly affects mental he alth, whatever the animal. Anyone: a cat, dog or human just needs support and love to overcome their ailments and forget all traces of said depression. Do not think that a cat is antisocial, on the contrary! It is a tremendously affectionate animal that needs to feel that it belongs to a family nucleus. On our site we give you some tips to gradually resolve depression:
Talk to him. Although he does not understand you, a sweet and affectionate tone will awaken feelings of affection in him. Avoid scolding and punishing him and provide him with the best care
It is important that you spend time with your cat close: skin-to-skin contact stimulates his sensitivity and promotes a better relationship between you
So that the contact between you is gratifying for the cat, give him caresses and massages that are relaxing and soft, even if you think it's funny or absurd it's good therapy to improve your quality of life.
Spend at least 30 minutes a day playing with your cat. Get your hands on a feather duster, a robot rat, and even a rattle ball. Any option is good as long as you both participate in the game. Do not remove the toy if it is in its mouth, pick it up when it stops paying attention to keep it active. Discover some proposals about toys for cats
Find a suitable distraction for those times when the cat is alone. You will find surprising intelligence games on the market that will make your cat dedicate whole hours to find a solution, the most popular is undoubtedly the kong for cats
Make him feel useful If your cat catches a cockroach or brings a dead pigeon to your lap, congratulate him! We know that it is not pleasant at all (indeed, it will surely make you want to vomit just looking at it) but despite everything, you must accept it for what it is: a gift. Find out more about why cats bring in dead animals on our site.
Increase your cat's contact with the sun and nature. Although it seems that the sun is only there, receiving its rays is very beneficial for mood and regeneration
If your cat has lost someone, be it a family member or another pet, you can try to alleviate the pain if your cat is sociable. Adopt a new pet to keep each other company and have a best friend by your side
Stimulate him with catnip or catnip although you should be careful when doing this. Some cats become extremely excitable
These are just some of the causes that can cause depression in cats, but there are many more. Paying attention to our pet and offering it the best care are the most effective tools to overcome this problem.
Serious cases of depression in cats
If you have followed the advice mentioned above for at least a week and you do not observe a significant improvement in your cat's behavior, you should consider Go to a specialist.
The vet can recommend the use of medications since on the market we find variants of antidepressants dedicated exclusively to animals. However, this type of drug can have serious consequences, creating addicted animals or requiring lifelong treatment. Alternative therapies such as homeopathy can also help.
It is up to you to choose what type of treatment your pet is going to receive, although, yes, strictly follow the professional's advice to prevent the problem from lasting over time. Don't forget that the more ingrained the cat's behavior is, the more difficult it will be to deal with.
