How to reduce stress at Christmas for your cat
Christmas can be a stressful time of the year for many cats. Many families and friends will be coming together to enjoy the festivities together.
Our homes are often a quiet calm place for our cat, but Christmas can generally mean a significant change. Suddenly our peaceful homes are bustling with energy. There is a large tree, flashing lights, decorations, wrapped gifts, excited children and unfamiliar smells that can all cause stress. We often have unfamiliar visitors in the house or people staying overnight. All of these can cause stress and anxiety for our cat as well. We will try to give you some tools to help reduce stress for your cat for the festive season.
Tips to help reduce stress at home
- Change things gradually when putting the decorations up in the home. This gives your cat a chance to acclimatise to their changing surroundings. This will help to reduce stress for them.
- Cats are creatures of habit and thrive on routine. Firstly keep to their usual feeding times as this is reassuring to them. Secondly water bowls and feed bowls should be easily accessible in a quieter area of the house. Keep these away from all the guests and excitement.
- Guests may be keen to make friends with your cat. However, encourage them to allow your cat to come to them in their own time.
- Create a safe place like a den or a room or even use a baby gate to separate part of the room or house for your cat. Make sure it has a warm cosy bed in it so they have some where to retreat to. When they want to escape the excitement, make sure there is fresh water close by and toys to keep them occupied. Cats often like to be high up so a soft blanket on top of a wardrobe would be appreciated. Provide litter trays as needed as well in quiet areas.
- Monitor the room temperature, anxious cats can be prone to overheating.
- Make sure that visitors, particularly excitable children, understand that the cats safe place is off limits to people. They should leave the cat alone when they are in the safe place.
Travelling tips
If you are going to be travelling with your cat over the festive period, it’s just as vital to ensure they are safe and not stressed or anxious.
- Take toys and a familiar blanket to keep your cat occupied on the journey or at your destination. Don’t suddenly change your routine and ignore your cat. If they are used to lots of play and interaction, they may feel isolated. Take time to make sure they get the normal level of interaction with you.
- Stick to their feeding routines. Provide normal water bowls and litter trays.
- Take all your cat’s normal food, medications, and bedding with you so they have familiar smells. Make sure you look up numbers for local emergency vets just in case.
Other ways you can help
There are various stress relieving options on the market to further aid your cat if you feel they are needed. It’s advisable you consult your veterinary team before starting any new supplements.
Pheromone diffuser and sprays are products that emulating natural pheromones released by a mother cat to calm her kittens. This pheromone works on cats' brains to calm them down and help relieve stress and anxiety.
Christmas is a wonderful time of the year for us all and it’s important to bear in mind the impact we might be having on our cat. Taking a few precautions can ensure the whole family will have a fun and safe festive period.
