Are you about to become a cat owner for the first time and are wondering how your pet will behave or have you noticed a change in your pet’s behavior recently? Although each and every cat has their own personality and is unique, there can be certain changes in your cat’s behavior that may concern you. Sometimes these changes can be a sign of stress, fear, distress, illness or even injury.
Changed cat behavior
Keep an eye on the following signs:
- Changed habits of peeing outside the litter box, behaving aggressively or hiding from people more than usual. These signs may mean that your cat is frightened or ill.
- Changed eating or toilet habits, hiding more than usual or higher levels of grooming. These kind of changes in your cat’s habits can mean your pet is feeling stress or fear.
How to help your cat
Do you recognise these kind of changes in your cat’s behavior? Are they becoming an ongoing issue? It may be time to talk to your vet. Even the cats that seem confident can scare easily. The owner should ensure that the cat can have access to their food, water, bed and litter box easily, without having to pass other animals that may scare them. You should also help your cat feel relaxed by offering places to hide and escape to, when their surroundings become noisy or stressful. Many cats enjoy climbing to high places, so you can put extra shelves up on the wall. If you cover the shelves with strong scratching material, you are helping your cat sharpen their claws, strengthen their muscles and stretch. Some pet owners find that placing good, sturdy scratching posts on the cat’s walking paths and especially near the couch can reduce the scratching of furniture. Excercise is very important especially for the indoor cats. Ensuring that your cat has enough toys around the house helps them in the long run.
Would you like to adopt a cat?
Frankie’s Feline Fund is a not-for-profit organization that saves and rehomes senior cats from shelters and helps owners, who are no longer able to look after their pets. If you are interested in adopting a cat, you should ensure you can do the following:
- Feed your adopted cat twice a day
- Keep your senior cat company and play with your pet
- Keep the cat’s litter tray tidy (you should clean it 2-4 times a day)
- Look afetr your cat’s health
- We recommend getting a pet health insurance, so caring for your adopted cat is planned for
Are you unable to adopt a cat in New York?
How you can help
Cat fostering is a great way of helping us save abandoned and unwanted senior cats from shelters. You can provide our cats a temporary and safe home, while we work hard to find the cat a permanent home. We here at Frankie’s Feline Fund will cover all of the vet’s medical services on your half. We will also give you instructions on how to medicate the cats, in case they are ill.
