A cat with an anxiety disorder is a scared cat. A traumatic event could have happened in the past and your cat became very sensitive to sounds and abrupt actions. Cats are careful and cautious animals by nature. Not all their behaviors show anxiety and you might be wondering how to tell if your cat is giving you some signs.  

How Can I Tell If My Cat Has Anxiety? 

There are degrees of anxiety disorder, ranging from mild to severe. If you’ve had your pet for a while, you know when its behavior changes. If you have recently adopted a kitten, you can’t know if it has suffered trauma before it came to you. You also may not realize that a cat in your care has been traumatized in your household. What doesn’t bother you might terrify your pet!  

There are different degrees of anxiety disorder ranging from mild to severe. It seems like your cat is more nervous than usual. You’re worried that something is wrong. Consider these signs of cat anxiety: 

• Increased nervousness and can’t settle down 
• Pacing also indicates nervous anxiety 
• Hiding more often from family and other pets in the house 
• Loss of appetite 
• More vocalization than normal 
• Wary, more cautious 
• Shaking 
• Drooling 
• Compulsive grooming 

How Do I Know When My Cat Needs Help? 

Everyone feels anxious in stressful moments even animals. Mild anxiety in humans and animals can be expected. We all feel anxious in times of stress. Have you recently moved, brought a new pet into the family, is there a new baby in the house? These are big changes for a cat and will cause a stress or anxiety reaction.  

Moderate anxiety in cats will display more in your pet’s physical behavior such as crouching, keeping its tail close to the body, dilated pupils, rapid breathing. Try talking to your cat in soothing tones, holding and petting it, and introducing distractions.