Top 5 Causes of Stress in Cats and Dogs

Cats and dogs are adorable pets. Many people keep it as a friend at home or as a house supervisor when the owner is out of the house.

Of course, we all hope to have healthy and adorable cats and dogs.

We do not want our cats and dogs to experience excessive stress so that it can interfere with the health of our pet cats and dogs.

There are many ways so that our cats and dogs are not easily stressed. Starting from cleaning the place, providing enough nutrition to the food, and also taking care of the two pets.

You must know what causes cats and dogs to become stressed.

By understanding some of the causes of stress from the two pets, it is hoped that you can prevent it or reduce the stress level of the cats and dogs that you have.

The following is an explanation of some of the causes of cats and dogs experiencing stress that I managed to collect from various sources. Here’s the information for you.

Cats and Dogs , Causes of Stress

The following are 5 main causes that can cause cats and dogs to experience stress. I hope you can pay attention to this seriously, so as not to cause health problems for your beloved cats and dogs.

1. Inappropriate Treatment of the Owner

The owner’s inappropriate treatment of holding too often and hurting, for example a toddler playing with a cat or dog, sometimes makes it uncomfortable.

Bathing especially for animals who do not really like water such as cats, or dogs who are traumatized by water.

Handling or holding in an incorrect and uncomfortable position, holding up continuously.

2. Presence of Other Animals

The presence of other animals: for example, predators meet their prey (cats and hamsters, dogs and cats, birds and cats, cats and mice, and others).

Or maybe other similar animals that don’t match the character tend to want to fight and dominate each other.

The male-to-female ratio is not suitable, for example, rabbits should be in one cage with 1 male and 3 females.

3. New Neighborhood or Residence

Moving to a new place, uncomfortable environmental temperatures such as too hot, too cold, lack of ventilation can cause stress to cats and dogs.

Make adjustments to the new environment so that cats and dogs do not experience this.

4. Is Pregnant

This situation can cause discomfort and stress due to pressure from the fetus and an enlarged stomach and other conditions that make the body condition uncomfortable.

Give extra attention when the cats and dogs are pregnant to avoid stress that can endanger their health.

5. Feed Type Change

housing types of feed can drastically cause stress conditions and digestive disorders. So it needs to be done gradually.

Adjustment of the type of feed is necessary so that cats and dogs do not experience stress.

Do not make changes to the type of feed spontaneously, because it will cause the cats and dogs to experience stress which is dangerous for their health.

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Cats and Dogs Characteristics That are Experiencing Stress

It’s actually easy to tell if your cat or dog is under stress.

Based on various sources that I got, here are some characteristics when the two animals are under stress:

• Aggressive: angry, biting
• Can also tend to be silent, weak, look depressed
• Withered eyes
• Decreased appetite
• Birds can peck each other, or hurt themselves
• Over grooming in cats (excessive self-licking)
• Doing repetitive activities such as a dog barking continuously, spinning around in the same place over and over
• Panic and Restlessness
• Decreased production (for production animals)
• Skinny body
• Changes in the form of feces or feces to be more liquid.

This stress condition for a short time or acute stress is not harmful or even beneficial. For example, the fetus in the womb experiences stress when it comes out of the uterus, if it is not stressed, there will be no contractions that make the mother push so that the fetus comes out of the womb.

Stress is also beneficial for preyed animals so they can run away from their predators.

But what is dangerous is stress that is prolonged (chronic), chronic (chronic stress).

Of course this is due to the stress factor that continues to occur. For example, for days in the cage without being given the opportunity to play and live freely. Or a stray cat on the street who continues to be mistreated, finds it difficult to find food, and is very likely to experience stress.

Why do Stressed Cats and Dogs Get Sick Easily?

Stress is one of the causes of decreased immune conditions and is susceptible to disease.

Stress is influenced by the hormone cortisol, which also affects the immune system. Cortisol is naturally released by the hormone center during stressful conditions.

The effect causes the body’s condition to respond to stressors so that blood pressure increases, breathes faster, and other conditions, also suppresses the production of the body’s defense cells.

So that when the body is stressed, it will be very vulnerable to illness due to a lack of body defense cells.

The body’s defense cells that experience stress are also unresponsive to fight disease agents. It even produces less than normal body conditions.

Tips to Prevent Stress on Cats and Dogs

Of course as much as possible to make our pets comfortable and safe.

For cats, a place for scratching, climbing, playing, and smelling nature is needed, for example, being invited for a walk or planting petgrass at home.

Dogs are invited to play every day, go for a walk.

You can also pay attention to the following so that cats and dogs do not experience stress:

• Free from hunger and thirst
• Free to express his habits
• Free from pain, pain, and disease
• Free from fear, insecure
• Free from discomfort

Take good care of your cats and dogs. Because if your pet is healthy then you will be happy and healthy too.

Like friends who are always there, cats and dogs can be friends who are always loyal to accompany you at all times.