admin Posted on 2:30 am

Cat stress can result in self-destructive behavior

In the presence of the bouncy, energetic little kitten recovering from a broken leg, my 18 year old female was displaying stressful behavior. While stressful behaviors often manifest as fight or flight, hers don’t. Instead, his stress was presented as licking: displacement behavior. In other words, excessive grooming.

As you can imagine, grooming can be calming and comforting for your cat. But when there is stress, this behavior can go to extremes. What is usually normal behavior can become repetitive, protracted, and ultimately self-destructive. Squeaky was licking his belly and hind legs until he was bald. If you continue to lick these specific spots, it could break the skin and cause an infection (not to mention creating a hairball problem in your gut).

What I had to do was give him his own space for part of the day. This is a quiet room away from the other elderly cat, the kitten, and any other cats. I’ve been using the guest bathroom.

During that time, you can be alone for a while to enjoy the peace and quiet (of course, there you have all your basics: litter tray, water, food, and a bed). But above all I am there giving him my full attention.

We play first. I use toys that she does not associate with other cats, so they are only hers. The “toy” could be something as simple as a box or a paper bag or a long piece of sisal. Our time together is exhilarating and distracting. After each 20-minute play therapy session, I calm her down by brushing and stroking her.

By the time she returns to the master bedroom with the other elderly cat and kitten, she is calm, feeling that (1) she is getting the special attention she deserves, and (2) she has a “panic room” to which she can escape. during these kitten-induced stressful times.

When you have no other place to take your cat with excessive licking problems, you can look for ways to provide extra cuddly loving care in its current environment. This can be a bit tricky because you don’t want the other elderly cat to feel jealous or ignored.

Remember: As you address your cat’s stressful behavior, you must also determine what is causing it. It may or may not be obvious. Either way, you’ll want to eliminate or moderate it to help ease your cat’s distress reaction. I see the use of medication as a last resort once I have tried behavioral methods. Also, patience and perseverance are absolutely necessary. It took your cat a while to get to that stressful behavior, and it will take a while to replace the negative habit with a positive one.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *