Owners should not take cat stress personally, says a veterinary nurse. Photo / 123RF
Owners should not take cat stress personally, says a veterinary nurse. Photo / 123RF
Cats are suffering from life-threatening stress illnesses because owners are spending more time in the house during the pandemic, vets have warned.
Surgeries have noticed a spike in conditions such as blocked bladders among feline pets in recent months, which experts blame on upheaval to their daily routines while the nation was driven indoors during lockdowns.
Debbie James, a veterinary nurse from Vet's Klinic in Swindon, Wiltshire, said: "We have seen a rise in blocked bladders in male cats and cystitis in male and female cats during the lockdowns and coming out of lockdown.
"These conditions need to be seen by a veterinary surgeon and treated as the most common cause is stress.
"Blocked bladder is a life-threatening condition and if you notice your male cat straining to urinate, not urinating, urinating in strange places around the house, or blood being present, then contact your vet as soon as possible."
She explained that owners should not take cat stress personally, as the animals favour routine so any sudden changes can upset them.
Cats Protection, Britain's largest feline welfare charity, has also found that many pets are struggling to cope with spending all day in the company of their carers.
"It would appear that some cats may have become more stressed in their home during the pandemic," said Daniel Cummings, a behaviour officer with Cats Protection.
"Changes to a cat's routine always has the potential to cause stress as they are creatures of habit.
"As well as this, 'safe' or 'quiet' places that a cat could have escaped to in the home previously may have been repurposed as a home office, so the cat no longer has a quiet place to escape."
Cats are suffering from life-threatening stress illnesses because of owners spending more time at home, vets warn. Photo / 123RF
Cats have been particularly prone to noisy children being at home rather than school during lockdown, he added, or lots of noises and activity in the household.
The charity advises owners to look for symptoms of chronic stress or depression in cats, such as them becoming more withdrawn, a less shiny fur coat, changes to eating, drinking and toilet patterns, pacing or restlessness and exhibiting less of their normal behaviours.
Owners should speak to a vet if they are concerned, but can also use cat stress-reduction techniques such as adding hiding places in the home, avoiding handling them too much, using a pheromone diffuser and keeping the house routine as predictable as possible.
But the work-from-home lockdown life has not been all misery for felines.
"All cats are individuals and some may enjoy human companionship and time with people more than others," said Sarah Tapsell, a clinical animal behaviourist at the RSPCA.
"This means there will likely be some cats who are enjoying the increased time spent with their owners during lockdown whereas other cats may be happy to have more quiet time when you return to work."
She added the key was to introduce any household routine changes gradually, especially when returning to the office full-time, as even less sociable cats could get agitated by an abrupt change in their owner's working patterns.
Vets say that dogs are less prone to pandemic-induced stress, but that puppies who grew up in lockdown may suffer from socialisation issues and separation anxiety as their owners spend more time apart now restrictions have lifted.
Some 3.2 million households in the UK have bought a pet since the start of the pandemic, the Pet Food Manufacturers' Association estimates, and more than half of these new owners were aged under 35.
It means the country now has 17 million pet-owning homes.
