Peaceful Coexistence in “Cat-tivity”

Fanciers with a social media presence have recently been deluged with cute posts about our new four-footed furry supervisors.

- Lucy Drury

We may have even posted a few memes and pictures ourselves. But, seriously, do we know if our cats adapting well to the new household routine? Are they thrilled that you’re home more, and simply being a bit of a pest while you try to work, or are they truly showing signs of stress because you are taking over their space? If they are showing signs of stress, this should be assessed and mitigated ASAP. Stress can lead to all kinds of medical issues in cats, including over or undereating, fighting, inappropriate elimination, and feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD), including partial or complete obstructions in male cats.

Assessing Stress in Cats

Signs of stress can be very subtle. While many cats hide their feelings well from humans, the signs are there if you know what to look for. According to Trisha Seifried, owner and head animal trainer of Got Pet-initial Animal Talent and CatBoss.TV, there are five basic body-language signs that all cats exhibit when stressed or frightened. In her CatBossTV.com blog post for March 31, 2020, she lists them as follows: