Feline Zen at home

I often find myself talking to cat owners about alleviating stress in their environment to help manage disease. Inevitably, people look at me in disbelief and say something like "How can he possibly be stressed? He sleeps all the time!" The signs of stress can be very subtle in our feline companions. Chronic unalleviated stress will lead first to behavior problems and eventually to medical problems.

Contrary to the popular belief that cats are loners, in situations where there are several cats and plenty of resources, a hierarchy is established. Dominance in a cat clowder is transient and will change as pets age and younger pets are introduced.

In multiple cat homes, watching how our cats behave around the food and water bowls can give you a good idea of who's dominant and who's subordinate. Dominant cats will always eat first and sometimes push other cats out of their dish, even if there are multiple dishes to choose from. The dominant cat may also graze from all the available bowls. Subordinate cats will wait until the dominant cat is finished. Spreading the food bowls apart helps all the cats get what they need.

In my opinion, cats are grazers by nature and do better with dry food if allowed to free feed. Cats whose dry food is strictly measured into twice daily allotments often bolt their food down so fast they regurgitate it right back up, looking uneaten. This approach of limiting access to dry food is very stressful for cats.

When feeding canned food, offering smaller meals more frequently will reduce the possibility of regurgitation and be more satisfying for the cat. While many of our cats tolerate different flavors of canned food, I try to stay with the same manufacturer to avoid drastic food changes that can cause gastrointestinal distress, like vomiting and diarrhea. If you need to radically change your cat's food, say from a commercial diet to a prescription diet, it's best to do so gradually over a week or so. You start by mixing a little of the new food in with the old and, over the course of a week, add in more new diet and less old diet until it's all new food by the end of the week.

Litter pans are a complex issue so I have a separate article about that.

Our adult cats do love to sleep, up to 20 hours a day. You've probably noticed your cats change locations throughout the day. If you notice your cat has been sleeping in the same spot all day without moving, that is often a sign of fever.

Cats usually feel more comfortable if some of their nap spots are off the floor, especially if they share their homes with dogs. Providing elevated perches for our indoor cats also increases their territory, particularly in situations where there's not much floor space. Some cats show stress by grooming excessively, to the point where they will create bald spots. These spots don't show signs of disease, they are just hairless. I recently spoke to a cat owner who was worried about this. During our conversation, I learned that an old cat tower had been discarded and not replaced. Since then, the owner has replaced the cat tower and the cat's hair is growing back.

Boredom is another reason cats will groom themselves bald or show other signs of stress. Cats allowed outdoors will pursue activities like chasing prey, climbing trees and exploring. Keeping our indoor cats active is a challenge. Interactive toys are usually more effective at getting our kitties to move. Also Kitty benefits from quality time with their human. These toys should be set aside when the owner can't be there, with simpler toys left available.

Allowing cats access to windows also provides stimulation for our cats. You can even make it more appealing by placing a bird feeder near a window for added zest.

Mt favorite way to end a day is to relax in my recliner with two or three cats snuggling with me. Studies have shown that stroking cats significantly reduces stress and anxiety in humans. If my cats can do that for me, it seems only fair to do what I can to minimize their stress.