Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: Dealing with an irritated or nervous cat
• Method 2 of 2: Finding a Lasting Solution for Anxious and Anxious Cats
• Tips
• Warnings

Regardless of whether you are a cat lover or not, you are unlikely to want to deal with an angry and annoyed animal. In addition, stress can cause cats to experience behavioral problems such as not using the litter box. Many things can throw a cat off balance: car trips, visits to the vet, thunderstorm noise, strangers at home or even unfamiliar cats on the street near the house, and so on. If the animal is so irritated that it growls, meows heart-rendingly, or rushes frantically around the house in search of shelter, it probably needs help to return to a calm state. Start calming your pet by controlling its environment and giving it privacy. If that doesn't work, you may need to talk to your veterinarian about the use of sedative medications.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Dealing with an irritated or nervous cat

1. 1 Keep your cat safe first. Approach the animal only if necessary, for example, if you need to take it to the veterinarian. In most cases, it is best to leave an irritated cat alone without trying to pick it up and pet it. If you need to approach the cat, then in order to contact the irritated animal, you first need to take care of your own safety and the safety of the cat. A frightened or irritated cat is capable of biting and scratching even its own owner. Such indirect aggression is associated with the fact that the animal becomes so irritated that it begins to bite and scratch anyone if it does not have the ability to take out anger directly on the cause of the upset.
   • Remember to handle an irritated cat with extreme caution.
   • Approach your cat with discretion (preferably with long sleeves and trousers).
   • Keep a towel handy in case you need to catch the cat.
2. 2 Be calm and speak in a calm tone. Talk to your cat calmly. For example, tell your pet: “Everything is fine, Murzik, everything is fine. Quiet. Quiet". Sit down calmly and wait for the pet to calm down, let him know that you will not harm him or pose a threat to him.
   • Speak in a low, low tone.
   • Singing, like talking quietly, can also help your cat calm down and relax. Performing anything from a funny song to a slow melody can help. Just don't sing loud and harsh, and don't use fast-changing keys.
   • Play something quiet on your TV.
3. 3 Lure the cat to you. Treat your pet with food if he is still afraid. Wet canned food is usually more tempting to cats than dry food, and fish has a more distinctive flavor than meat.
   • Allow your cat to climb higher so that you feel safe and able to observe what is happening around.
   • If possible, lightly stroke the cat's face with your thumb from the bridge of the nose and up to the forehead.
4. 4 Provide isolation for your cat if she is still upset. Place the cat in a confined space where she can be alone to help her calm down. Lock all doors leading to the area where the cat is, and close the curtains or blinds on the windows so that the cat cannot see what is happening outside. Get children and other pets out of this room. Your goal is to provide your cat with a calm and safe environment that will reduce your pet's anxiety levels.
   • To move the cat to a place where it can be alone, wrap it tightly in a towel, leaving only its head sticking out. Then take her to a quiet room (such as a bedroom), provide a litter box, and wait for the animal to return to a calm state.

Method 2 of 2: Finding a Lasting Solution for Anxious and Anxious Cats

1. 1 Find out what exactly makes your cat worry. After resolving the problem situation, it will be necessary to analyze it. What exactly upset the cat? If this was a one-off incident, for example, due to the appearance of workers in the house, the next time you can be prudent and lock the cat in a quiet room until the workers leave. If the problem is with a stray cat near the house, you can use techniques to scare away stray animals, such as water sprinklers or chemical repelling sprays.
   • If the problem recurs periodically (for example, when traveling by car, due to a thunderstorm or companies in the house), you can take special steps to make it easier for your pet to cope with such situations.
2. 2 Use pheromones to calm your cat. Pheromones are chemical compounds produced by glands located on the cat's body (face, paws, back and tail). With their help, cats communicate with each other. Certain pheromones, such as those produced by glands on the face when an animal rubs it against objects or people, have a calming effect on stressed cats.
   • Scientists have been able to artificially synthesize calming feline pheromones and are now available in the form of collars, sprays, wet wipes and electric diffusers.
3. 3 Use other non-drug sedatives. There are several non-pharmacological ways to calm anxious or stressed animals. Essential oils and combinations of certain herbs can also mimic pheromones, so you can try using them instead of synthetic pheromones. Calming supplements are also effective in relieving anxiety and stress in cats. The ingredients in these supplements help maintain the natural chemical balance of the animal's body, which promotes relaxation. Supplements come in liquid, chewable, or tablet form.
   • The anti-stress vest is also a non-drug sedative. It is wrapped around the cat's body and secured with Velcro straps in such a way as to exert light pressure on certain points and thereby calm the animal. The principle of the vest is similar to the effect of swaddling a baby or wrapping a cat in a towel.
   • Keep in mind that not every cat will respond positively to wearing an anti-stress vest or using pheromones and herbs. You may need to go through a lot of trial and error when testing such products.
4. 4 Consider taking short-acting medications. The chemical balance of some cats necessitates the use of medication to relieve their condition in anxious and stressful situations.There are special medications for short-term use, such as occasional car trips or visits from people to whom your pet has an antipathy. These drugs can be different and are used to temporarily calm cats in temporary circumstances. The use of such drugs requires an examination of the animal and obtaining a prescription from the veterinarian, as it is necessary to ensure that the cat's health allows it to take such drugs.
   • Not all cats respond the same to the same drugs, so in most cases, veterinarians recommend first evaluating a drug trial at home to test the animal's response to the sedative.
   • Remember that some sedatives need to be given to your pet about an hour before the trip and the anticipated stressful event so that the effects of the medication are not overridden by the accumulated anxiety.
5. 5 Talk to your veterinarian about sedative medications that may help your cat. There is a wide variety of sedatives available for cats. They all have their own side effects and precautionary requirements, especially for cats with health problems such as kidney failure, heart disease, and diabetes. Only a veterinarian can find the right medication for your cat. Some of the options for cat sedatives are listed below.
   • Benzodiazepines. Examples of benzodiazepines are alprazolam, midazolam, and lorazepam. These are the most commonly used sedatives for cats. They begin to act almost immediately, relieving fear and anxiety, affecting the same area of ​​the brain that alcohol affects in humans. Note: NEVER give alcohol to cats.
   • Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. An example of such a sedative is trazodone. It quickly relieves anxiety.
   • Clonidine and gabapentin. They have a calming effect on a variety of animals, including cats.
   • Chlorpheniramine and benadryl are allergy and cold medications that are also used as sedatives for cats.
   • Phenobarbital is also used as a sedative in cats.
6. 6 Explore long-term drug treatment options. For those cats that suffer from persistent anxiety, there are long-term treatments. For animals with severe pathological anxiety, long-term medications (requiring daily intake for several months or even years) are the best way to make the life of the pet and its owner more acceptable. Fortunately, there are now relatively safe medications that smooth out the chemical imbalance in the body that is causing the cat's plight.
   • Long-term medications include: amitriptyline (an antidepressant that helps animals with anxiety), buspirone hydrochloride (helps with phobias, for example, from constant fear of people or fear of thunderstorms), clomipramine and fluoxetine (Prozac, fluxen).
   • These medications need to be accumulated in your cat for them to work effectively, so it can take up to 6 weeks before you can evaluate the effectiveness of a particular drug for your pet.
   • Also, remember not to abruptly stop taking these medications, or you may experience unpleasant side effects. It is best to gradually reduce the dosage of the drug so that the cat's body can adapt to the decrease.

Tips

• Do not hiss at the cat, this sound is similar to hiss, which can irritate the pet even more and put additional stress on it.
• Also watch out for your own patience and a relaxed state! The cat will feed on your energy.
• If the cat runs away and hides in its nook, leave it alone so that it can recover on its own.
• Sit at an angle of 45 to 90 degrees to your cat. This posture is less intimidating and intimidating for her, while she demonstrates to the animal that he has a way to escape.
• Offer the cat to eat and step back from the food for more freedom of action!
• Don't try to pet an irritated cat. Instead, leave her alone until she calms down. And when the cat is back to normal, surround her with gentle and loving care.
• A cat can get agitated and irritated because of being touched and squeezed too much. Treat the cat as if it were your baby. Surround her with loving love and care. Don't go crazy. Remember that this is also a living being.
• If your cat is often scared, play some soothing classical music for her at home.

Warnings

• If you get close to the cat, and she begins to hiss and arch its back, slowly step back and review your own strategy of action.
• Do not bring other animals into the room with the cat, they can create additional stress for her.