How Stressed is Your Cat?

 

There are many different things that can cause our felines stress. New additions to the family (both of the four and two-legged variety), moving, changes in schedules, even a new piece of furniture can cause cats anxiety and stress. Besides the emotional and mental affects of stress, feline stress can cause a variety of health problems and can affect a cat’s behaviour in many different ways.

Common Stress-Related Behavioural Problems:

• urine marking
• vertical scratching
• over-grooming
• redirected aggression
• hiding, decreased activity, no interaction with owners

Common Stress-Related Medical Problems:

• Cystitis (inflammation of the bladder)
• Anorexia
• Obesity

 

Feliway is a synthetic copy of the natural feline facial pheromone proven to help reduce or prevent feline stress and the associated behavioural or medical problems. It is a replica of the natural feline marking pheromone that they use to designate their territory. Pheromones do not smell, and are processed only by the specific species they are produced by. 

Feliway can be used to help comfort and reassure cats while they cope with a challenging situation and help prevent or reduce the stress caused by a change in their environment. It comes in a few different methods of dispersement - a spray and a diffuser.

 

Diffuser:

• Need to place the diffuser in the most common area the animal will be and where the problem is occurring
• 1 diffuser will cover approx. 500-700 sq feet
• Needs to be plugged in all the time and can last 4-5 weeks
• Takes 24 hours to diffuse into a space
• Replace diffuser every 6 months or after 6 refills
• Should be no smell
• Do not place near vents or under a table as this may block the flow of the pheromones. Place in an open area to ensure optimal diffusion and effectiveness

Spray:

• Ideal for boarding animals, veterinary visits, car travel, vertical scratching, new elements in the house, spray 15 minutes before you put your cat into the area
• Needs 5 pumps into environment or carrier or surface
• Do not spray directly onto your cat
• The spray will have an immediate effect and lasts 5 hours in the environment
• Does not stain surfaces

Here at the Bowmanville Veterinary Clinic we have a designated cat room with a Feliway diffuser going all the time to ensure you cat's visit to the veterinary clinic is as stress free as possible.

For more information on Feliway and to learn more about cat behaviour, visit their webpage: http://www.feliway.com/ca_en

Chantelle Oliver, RVT
Bowmanville Veterinary Clinic