My cat Sophie has always been a little skittish. As a rescue, she didn’t socialize normally as a kitten, spending most of her time inside a cage. Over time, she improved and became calmer due to her loving environment, complete with toys, towers, and all she needed. However, last year, she started to become more skittish again, so I took her to the vet. After a thorough examination, including blood tests, the vet didn’t find any issues with my cat. So, I realized I needed to make natural changes to help my cat feel safer and less anxious.
Why Are Cats Anxious?
According to Gallant cats develop fear or anxiety due to various reasons, such as low tolerance to threats, trauma during kitten-hood, separation anxiety, underlying medical issues such as arthritis, and more. Cats are not only predators in the wild, but also prey. This fact conditions their natural behavior to one being extremely sensitive to stimulus in the environment. Before trying to calm your anxious cat in a natural way, it’s always a good idea to take your cat to the Vet first. This way you may determine a possible underlying medical condition or effects in your cat’s health due to aging.
What I did to Calm My Anxious Cat Naturally
There are two approaches to calm a cat naturally and I did both. A short term approach by using natural remedies, and a long term strategy by environment enrichment, including the elimination of triggers. The main goal is to reduce your cat’s anxiety without the need of short term remedies, but they are a good help while in the process of changing your cat’s behavior.
1. Short Term: Natural Remedies
You can find all sorts of natural remedies to calm your cat. Catnip is one of them, but I didn’t include it on my list because my cat had a litter box accident with catnip use. The following natural solutions have helped me control my cat’s anxiety and nervousness. I’ve placed them in order of effectiveness, starting with the fastest.
Spray Pheromones: Calms my cat in about an hour
What are pheromones? According to Comfort Zone, pheromones are chemical signals that many creatures use to communicate. Cats use pheromones to attract or select mates, mark territory, or appease newborn babies. When pheromones are applied to a cat’s territory, it feels safer and happier. I personally use a pheromone spray called Comfort Zone, which mimics the cat facial pheromone that signals a safe and familiar territory. How do you use the spray? Simply spray it wherever your cat lays down and hangs out. You can also get a plug diffuser, but I prefer the spray because it works faster. The plug diffuser takes about 5 days to work for my cat, though it is a more continuous calming solution. Get Comfort Zone pheromones spray on Chewy by visiting this link.
Pet Hemp Oil: It shows effect in my cat within an hour
Pet hemp extract oil is obtained from Cannabis sativa, containing a high concentration of CBD but without the psychoactive THC chemical. A publication in the Annual Review of Animal Bioscience, titled “Scientific Validation of Cannabidiol for Management of Dog and Cat Diseases,” concludes that CBD has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, showing positive results for osteoarthritis and seizures in companion animals. However, more studies are needed regarding anti-anxiety effects, although CBD has proven to be effective in reducing anxiety in mice in control studies. Further research, especially with cats, is necessary. Nevertheless, with the right dose and short-term use, hemp extract oil can effectively calm a cat. I use it mostly during thunderstorms or fireworks since it works quickly and relaxes my cat. I use the brand Hemomac, which is made in the USA. The recommended dose is 0.25ml or 5 drops on an empty stomach before a meal. I started with 2 drops and increased according to the results. With the right dose, your cat should be calmer without being lethargic or sleepy. Get Hemomac pet hemp oil in Amazon by visiting this link.
Rescue Remedy: Worked within two hours with my cat
This is a homeopathic solution created by British Dr. Edward Bach. Rescue Remedy combines five natural flower essences to relax and calm cats in stressful situations. I have used it during trips with my cat, and it worked well in conjunction with pheromones. The initial dose to calm a cat is 4 drops, but you can add more drops depending on the level of the cat’s stress. You can administer the drops in the water bowl, on the cat’s food, or directly in its mouth. As with any alternative remedy, the FDA has not approved Rescue Remedy’s effectiveness since there are no scientific studies. However, this alternative remedy has effectively managed my cat’s mild anxiety when I used it in the past. All in all, I don’t recommend this solution for cats with higher levels of stress or anxiety, as it may not be as effective.
Pheromone collar: Visible effect in over two weeks
These collars are infused with pheromones that are released slowly, calming cats over an extended period. I use the brand FIKPTE with my cat, which mimics the pheromone release by the mother when comforting her kittens. The time to see results with this type of collar is usually not quick. Depending on your cat’s metabolism, it could take anywhere from a couple of weeks up to a month, which is the maximum period of the collar’s lifespan. The good thing about these collars is that you don’t need to keep spraying pheromones wherever your cat is walking or sitting; the pheromone substance is released continually next to the cat’s neck, close to its chin. The brand I use allows my cat to feel like a comforted kitten again. Get the Fikpte pheromone collar for cats in Amazon, visiting this link.
2. Long Term: Environment Enrichment
Changing your cat’s environment can make your cat happy and confident. Additionally, respecting your pet’s space is important. Here’s how I accomplished this with my cat Sophie:
Interactive Play Routine
I play with my cat for a few minutes in the morning and in the evening. These are quick play sessions, but they are enough to make her feel good. She is turning 9 years old this year, so she doesn’t need the same amount of playtime as when she was younger. The importance of playing with your cat daily relies on helping your kitty release all its energy reserved for hunting. Stress or anxiety worsens with inactivity or lack of stimulation. Cats are meant to solve challenges in the wild to hunt and get their food. By playing with your cat daily, you establish a healthy routine that will give your pet a little bit of that “hunting life” he needs.
Respecting the cat’s space
In order to make cats feel safe and secure in their territorial space, we need to let them be cats. If you have a healthy cat, it’s important to let him nap, be high up, hide, or do whatever he needs to do without interrupting those moments. Sometimes, we overwhelm our cats with excessive attention, which could worsen the symptoms of an anxious cat. For example, I know I shouldn’t bother my cat when she is napping, hiding in her favorite tunnel, or grooming herself. But I notice she purrs when I pet her while she is looking out the window. You need to observe your cat’s behavior and learn what makes your anxious cat feel better. The key is balance: don’t be too distant with your cat, but don’t be too clingy either.
Remove Triggers
There are many triggers that cause your cat to be nervous or anxious, and we need to determine what they are to eliminate them. For example, my cat gets nervous with loud or sudden noises, sudden movements from me or my husband, and when playing with hard toys that could potentially hit her. So, I simply eliminated all of these triggers. I put her in a separate room before vacuuming or making any loud noise. We try to avoid walking too fast towards her, yelling when watching TV, or anything similar. I also only use soft, lightweight toys when I play with her. Once your cat starts gaining more confidence, you can gradually expose it to louder noises until it gets used to them.
Higher Spots for your cat
Make sure to keep higher surfaces available for your cat to jump onto to relax and contemplate its territory. The reason why cats like to be in higher spots is that they feel safer from predators and can see their whole territorial domain. They can also get away from noises or traffic from people in the house. My cat has several spots where she goes; she even has access to the ceiling’s rafters.
Provide Your Cat an Enriched Living Environment
This includes a clean and easy-to-access litter box, stimulating interactive toys, a vertical or horizontal scratching surface, and comfortable bedding. The more items you set up for your cat to enjoy its environment, the less stressed and anxious it will be. For example, I purchased an anti-anxiety bed for my cat with a special texture at the bottom that mimics a cat’s mother’s belly. My cat loves it, and it seems to really ease her anxiety. As soon as she gets into her bed, she starts ‘making biscuits’. If you want to check this cat bed, here’s the link.
Calming Music
I always put on special music for Sophie to relax. I usually find good YouTube videos with calming music for cats and play them while I do chores around the house. She loves this music and relaxes very nicely; sometimes she even falls asleep. I recommend the ‘Cats-Only Channel,’ which plays nice instrumental music with water sounds in the background. It is very relaxing.
Timely Interaction With My Cat
Sophie gets really scared by fireworks or thunderstorm noises. When this happens, she usually hides behind the toilet. I let her hide, but after a few seconds, I go there, pet her, and comfort her. She feels a little more reassured with this. I usually know beforehand when fireworks or thunderstorms are coming and give my cat hemp oil. But sometimes this still is not enough, although it calms her much more than without it. When a cat is nervous because of any event, it’s important to approach it wherever it is hiding and provide your pet with love. You must comfort your cat with a soothing voice and petting, making it feel safer. This will also help your cat exit the hiding spot once the noise or other trigger is gone.
Conclusion
Cats are naturally skittish animals, very sensitive to unfamiliar stimuli. Some cats develop anxiety that can be mild or severe, and there are ways to calm them naturally. You can use natural remedies that provide a short-term solution to calm your cat. You can also try to reinforce your cat’s confidence and sense of safety by enriching its environment and changing the way you interact with your pet. Working with both approaches can really help your feline friend reduce its skittishness or anxiety levels.
Is one of these scenarios similar to what happens with your cat? I hope my experience with Sophie will help you relax your cat naturally by using one of these tips. The idea is to help your cat regain confidence not only in the short term but also in the long run. Best of luck!
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