Christmas is a lovely time of the year especially when it is
spent in the company of family and friends but please do spare a thought for
our feline household members as changes in their indoor environment, and routines,
can cause them various degrees of emotional stress. Our older felines and the
anxious ones can be affected much more.
Some of the seasonal challenges that our cats face at this
festive time of year are different and strange smells from Christmas trees and
scented candles, furniture that may need to be rearranged in order to
accommodate the Christmas tree or extra visitors. Visitors that pop in or even
stay over during the Christmas holiday can create more noise and change the
familiar scent profile around the home for your cat. Visitors or house guests
may include a baby, young children, teenagers or a dog.
By “thinking cat” we can help our cats with these stressors
just by providing ample hidey holes, bolt holes, escape routes or even a
separate familiar “den” if space allows with all of your cat’s resources in so
that your cat can feel safer and in more control. Don’t worry if your cat hides
away, especially if they feel more anxious when visitors arrive this is normal
behaviour and their way of coping with the situation.
Young Kittens:
Kittens are not only a pure delight but are usually very
inquisitive and playful and often find the sight of the Christmas tree and
dangling baubles very appealing and are often tempted to climb up the tree so
try to keep young cats and kittens supervised
when they play around the tree or near to lit candles, fairy lights and tea
lights. It would certainly be an idea to keep kittens out of your main room
overnight.
Tinsel, ribbons, string and Christmas wrapping paper and
baubles are other playful objects that attract kittens so again keep a watchful
eye out when wrapping presents in your cat’s presence. Ribbons and string can
be easily swallowed by a curious and playful cat.
Normal Routine:
Wherever possible try to stick to your cat’s normal feeding
routine over the holidays as cats need predictability and consistency. Avoid giving turkey dinners to them as this
can be rich and cause tummy upsets.
The Party Season:
New Year’s Eve can bring further challenges for our cats due
to the many fireworks that go off the
noise of which can be very frightening for our felines as they can hear at a
much higher level than ourselves.
So as mentioned earlier, one of the cats coping strategies
is to hide, so do not worry if your cat does this in response to the fireworks
it is normal behaviour. Do not disturb your cat and try to provide plenty of
easily accessible hidey holes for your cat to retreat to. Under a bed, inside
of open cupboards, tops of wardrobes and cardboard boxes are handy options.
As well as trying to keep to your normal cats routine, keep
curtains or blinds closed and keep the TV or radio on as a background noise. I
would recommend locking your cat flap if you have one during the evening so
that your cat remains safe inside your home. Remember to provide a litter tray and place it in a quiet and
private area away from a busy thoroughfare and try to use an unscented and a
fine grain litter as it is softer under paw.
Supplements to help
with feline stress:
There are a couple of
complimentary supplements
that can help with feline stress, one option is the Calm dry diet by Royal
Canin as its active ingredients include a combination of “Alpha Casozepine” a
milk peptide which is known for its calming effects and
“ L-tryptophan” an amino acid that regulates mood as it is a
precursor for serotonin. In studies it has shown that increased brain
concentrations of L-tryptophan leads to an increase release of serotonin which
plays an essential role in the regulation of mood, anxiety, appetite and sleep.
The calm diet is highly digestible and palatable and has added nutrients to
support the skin, urinary tract and digestion.
The Calm food comes as a dry kibble form in bags of 2kg and
4kg and you should see a difference in the cat’s mood state within two weeks.
This food can be fed for a few weeks or months or long term if needed unless
the pet is on a prescribed veterinary diet or is an older animal. At the moment Blackwater Valley Vets are giving a discount on
the Calm food until the end of this year.
Another option is Zylkene a milk peptide and mimics mother’s milk.
It is easy to administer as you break the capsule and mix the powder into the
cat’s food once a day in the mornings. You should see an improvement after
about ten days. The usual course would be a month’s worth. Again until the end of this
year Blackwater Valley Vets are offering a discount on Zylkene.
Then there is Feliway that can also help in times of feline
stress as it releases a comforting and reassuring pheromone throughout the home
environment. Feliway comes in a diffuser or a spray and I would suggest using a
plug in diffuser over Christmas and New Year as it should last for up to 4
weeks. Blackwater Valley Vets are also offering a discount
on any of the Feliway range until the
end of this year.
** With either the Calm food, Zylkene or the Feliway
diffuser I would suggest using them 2 weeks before Christmas to take effect.
Finally may I take this opportunity in wishing our clients and Cats Protection Supporters a
lovely Christmas and a Happy and Heathy New Year, and to our felines, a stress
free yuletide.
Seasons Greetings
Debbie.
