Identical to us, cats may be vulnerable to stress, with recent environments, unusual noises and meeting recent people or pets all common causes for feline anxiety.
It’s necessary to know the warning signs of an anxious kitty, but are essential oils protected for cats?
There is important evidence to suggest that comforting scents might help to assuage and calm internal systems, and might have a positive impact on each the physical and mental body.
As humans, we regularly use essential oils to loosen up and unwind.
In truth, there’s an enormous number of scents with effective calming properties which may add a little bit extra zen into your each day routine.
Nonetheless, essential oils are toxic to cats and are best avoided to keep up the very best levels of safety on your fur-baby.
But fear not, anxious cat owners! Fluffy Kitty is here to make it easier to find the very best solutions on your frightful feline, offering alternative ideas to assist create a calmer home for each cat and human alike.
Here’s an idea of what we cover on this blog.
Are There Secure Essential Oils for Cats?
- Most essential oils are toxic for cats, but luckily there are alternatives.
- Scents can affect wellbeing and we explore the science behind calming scents. They might help to calm your furry friend, leaving them feeling completely satisfied and protected, even in difficult situations or environments
- There aren’t any totally protected essential oils for cats – so we explore the alternatives and the way best to make use of scented products for cats for optimum leisure results
Most Common Causes of Stress and Anxiety in Cats
Cats are excellent at counting on their instincts and senses to maintain them protected.
And while this is commonly a helpful trait, it might mean that our furry friends are more sensitive to changes of their environment and might result in heightened levels of tension or stress.
Listed below are a few of the fundamental causes as to why your cat may be experiencing stress:
Probably one among the most important upheavals your cat could experience, moving homes is all the time a giant task and will require additional reassurance and longer adjustment periods on your kitty. Their environment is totally changing and it can take a while for them to feel comfortable of their recent space again.
- A change of their routine
Cats quickly grow to be used to the habits and routines of the household, for instance knowing after they shall be fed, when mom or dad are coming home, what the sound of a cabinet door opening means etc.
Disruptions to this routine could make cats feel unsafe or unwell comfy and could be a root cause for certain anxious behaviors or acting out, resembling spraying or scratching.
Cats learn to trust and depend on their humans. We are able to make them feel protected and loved, and just as humans experience separation anxiety, cats can too. As much as we would love to, we will’t be there to cuddle or snuggle with our cats 24/7.
So when we’ve got to go away the home, it might leave some cats feeling unsafe or abandoned. We’ve grow to be a continuing of their life and it might be unnerving to not have us there.
- The introduction of latest animals or people
Whether you’re introducing a brand new furry friend, a brand new partner or even perhaps the arrival of a baby, this will feel like a threat to your cat’s environment. It takes time for them to get used to recent bodies and energies in the home, especially if they’re used to sensing and trusting just you.
- Threats to their territory
Outside cats or animals can sometimes pay a visit and encroach in your cat’s territory, making them feel that they should protect their space. This will leave cats feeling shaken up or on edge, particularly if this becomes an everyday occurrence.
- Improper or uncomfortable handling
As any cat owner will know, our kitties are excellent at letting us know after they have had enough cuddles and kisses, making their boundaries very clear with an agitated tail swish or warning swipe.
If their boundaries are overstepped, this will frustrate or aggravate our cats. Making them feel trapped and causing them to act out.
Also in case your cat has a nasty experience of being handled – perhaps a stressful vet experience or a baby who was a little bit too affectionate – this will make them wary of further contact with people and more vulnerable to anxious behaviors.
Ah automobile journeys, something any kitty parent shall be aware has the potential to go… not so well! The bizarre sensations, sights and smells of traveling could make heightened cat senses go haywire and be overstimulating for them, leaving them in a state of fear and overwhelm.
- Unfamiliar noises or sensations
Construction, traffic, fireworks – these are only a number of of the sensory triggers that may negatively affect your cat.
Our kitties don’t necessarily understand what these noises are and these noises sound considerably louder to our cats than to our human ears. These unpleasant sensations could make your kitty particularly jumpy or uneasy.
How Do Scents Help to Regulate Stress and Anxiety?
The limbic system may be stimulated through our sense of smell.
(When you’re unaware, the limbic system helps to regulate the sense of smell, long-term memories, behaviors and emotions. It also assists within the regulation of blood-pressure, respiratory and our heart-rate.)
By stimulating the limbic system through the usage of comforting scents, this will have a positive impact on each the physical and the mental body.
Consequently, that scents are sometimes related to specific experiences or memories. And animals specifically use their highly sensitive sense of smell as one among the fundamental ways to navigate and experience the world.
So, it is smart that there’ll be sure scents our fluffy kitties associate with certain experiences – the nice and the bad – which may trigger different responses depending on the smell association.
Humans use treatments resembling aromatherapy – which uses essential oils, aka. compounds that are extracted from plants – to soothe the senses and deepen feelings of calm and rest.
The oils are either applied on to the skin or inhaled through a steam diffuser to create a nice sensory experience.
Nonetheless, while essential oils may be extremely effective for us humans, there are usually not any protected essential oils for cats.
All oils have the potential to be harmful to your cat. In order that they’re best avoided, relating to finding effective ways of calming your kitty.
Luckily, there is a big amount of cat-friendly products and alternative holistic options that are highly effective in treating feline stress and anxiety. Which brings us neatly onto…
Cat-Friendly Products to Relieve Stress and Anxiety
Here at Fluffy Kitty, cat safety and happiness is our top priority.
So we’ve compiled a listing of cat-friendly options to assist calm your kitty. Including products which have a popularity for achieving positive leads to reducing feline anxiety.
We also wish to stress the importance of consulting your vet before introducing your cat to recent products or substances. It will help keep your fur-baby as protected as possible.
So, without further delay, let’s get to it!
Listed below are a few of the best cat-friendly products and alternatives to helping reduce anxiety and stress behaviors in cats:
If there was an important oil for cats – this may be it!
Animals and humans alike naturally emit pheromones as a type of deep-rooted animalistic communication. These colorless, odorless chemical signals vary from species to species and are completely natural and instinctual.
Tapping into this process might help with evoking positive feelings resembling trust, safety and connection.
Cat pheromone plug-in diffusers and sprays have grow to be increasingly popular because of their effectiveness and cat-safe nature.
We’d recommend the Feliway Classic Cat Calming Diffuser. Or for those who’re in search of something to make use of flexibly across the house, give the Relaxivet Pheromone Spray a try.
We’ve all heard of the superhuman hold that catnip can have over our kitties!
This feline-favorite member of the mint family mimics female sex hormones. It’s is thought for evoking positive and calm feelings in cats – sometimes to the purpose of ecstasy!
We love catnip toys that mix all the advantages of catnip with the enrichment of batting around a toy.
This Cosmic Catnip toy is certain to be a winner together with your kitty. Alternatively, you’ll be able to buy a bathtub of Pet Craft Catnip and sprinkle it on a recyclable cat scratch pad. This’ll help to supply extra mindful stimulation.
Bear in mind that an excessive amount of catnip could cause symptoms resembling dizziness, vomiting and diarrhea. So it’s best to begin with a little bit bit now and again. When you’re concerned in any respect, confer with your vet tips on how to proceed.
Not every cat will reply to catnip. But there are other cat-safe herbs which might help to stimulate or calm your cat. Try the cat-nip-like valerian and calming chamomile as alternatives.
It’s debated whether calming cat treats are 100% effective or not.
Some anecdotal evidence suggests that it does make a difference. Whilst others debate just how effective it actually is in reducing more severe cat anxiety.
Our take? Even when it doesn’t totally make your kitty stress-free, your cat will still be grateful to receive a tasty treat!
Why not give these Composure Calming Treats a go, or these Calming Chews?
Another choice is to take your kitty’s favorite wet food and smear it over a Lickimat slow feeder. Slower, enriched feeding experiences and the repetitive licking motion might help to scale back anxiety in our pets.
Secure Essential Oils for Cats – The Wrap-Up
There are quite a lot of the reason why your cat could also be experiencing stress or anxiety. It could possibly be change in environment or routine, a threat to their territory, or other strange experiences.
All these have the potential to evoke stress behaviors in cats and make them act out of character.
But relating to finding solutions to assist keep our kitties calm, remember. All essential oils include a risk to cats. Many essential oils are extremely toxic to cats and so are best avoided.
The excellent news is that there are various cat-safe alternatives to essential oils. This includes pheromone diffusers, which use naturally emitted chemicals to make cats feel protected and comfy. To not forget catnip and other cat-friendly herbs, which may bring kitties joy, happiness and calm!
Every kitty is beautifully unique and can have different needs. It is necessary to get to know your cat’s triggers and warning signs. It will make it easier to to discover anxious behaviors before they take a correct hold in your fur-baby.
At the top of the day, spending time together with your cat & making a protected, structured and loving environment is the primary approach to keep your kitty comfortable and calm.
We might like to understand how you retain a relaxed home on your kitty. What are their favourite ways to unwind? Get in contact and tell us!
