For all of us eco-friendly cat parents out there, it’s relieving to know that there are natural remedies for calming cats whenever they get stressed out.
When you have an anxious cat in your home, things can be turned upside down. A stressed-out cat can experience inappropriate urination, lash out at other members of the family, or hideaway and cause you to worry.
A cat on edge can not only disrupt the home but is experiencing unhappiness that a pet owner never wants their fur baby to face, making it important to find an effective solution to calm your beloved feline companion.
In this article, we’ll discuss the common reasons behind feline anxiety and the natural ways you can help to bring them relief.
Natural Remedies for Calming Cats
How to Calm A Stressed Cat Naturally
Natural remedies for stressed cats are important for relieving their anxieties without adding to their stress with medical intervention or other major life changes.
Some of the natural ways that cat owners are soothing their cat’s nerves include:
Chamomile For Cats
Chamomile is an impressive plant substance that has been used in herbal medicine for quite some time. Often used for its mild sedation effects and relief of gastrointestinal upset, chamomile is a wonderful natural remedy for feline stress.
Chamomile can be administered to your cat by aromatherapy throughout your home of a diluted chamomile extract, through the consumption of a teaspoon of chamomile tea orally, or by the administration to the skin of chamomile tea or a diluted chamomile extract.
Though this plant extract can work wonders for your favorite furry friend, it’s important to never allow your cat to munch on the plant itself. Concentrated chamomile can cause severe gastrointestinal upset and mouth irritation.
Remember that any natural substance should be diluted for use in cats, as cats are often sensitive to these substances in concentrated amounts.
Valerian For Cats
Valerian is so popular for use in cats, that many people use this herb in the place of catnip or sometimes mixed with it. Similar to catnip, this herb will create a euphoric state for your cat and often result in a giddy and playful version of your once anxious cat.
Though Valerian’s stimulation is similar to that of catnip, Valerian will then create a soothing and sedative effect after the excitement has worn off. This makes sense, as Valerian is often used by people who experience insomnia.
Many cat parents use Valerian during their trips to the vet, as a stimulant to entice playtime, and as a soothing distraction during stressful periods in their cat’s life. Using the herb itself is safer than Valerian extract for use in cats, as extracts or supplements often contain other ingredients that can be harmful to cats.
Cat Calming Collar
Many cat parents have turned to a cat calming collar for their stressed or nervous cats. This option is ideal for cats that experience chronic stress, as it is always delivering pheromones that help to stabilize their moods.
The most popular cat calming collar is the Sentry Calming Collar as it delivers pheromones with chamomile and lavender scents, which are known to soothe nervous felines. Many cat parents say this collar has helped to reduce cat yowling, marking, and destructive scratching due to stress.
Bach Rescue Remedy
The Bach Rescue Remedy flower essence combination has been relieving anxiety in humans for quite some time and is now available in an alcohol-free version for cats and dogs. Since this herb combination is known to give anxious cats instant relief, cat parents often use Bach Rescue Remedy during vet visits or other stressful events.
Make sure to purchase the version that is safe for cats and dogs, as this company offers a wide variety of natural remedies that may not all be safe for use in pets.
What Causes Stress or Aggression in Cats?
Stress can lead to many chronic problems in our cat’s life, just as it can with us. Though they may become anxious from other triggers that wouldn’t necessarily impact us, the effects of long-term stress can be just as serious. Some common causes of anxiety in cats include:
- Bringing a new pet into your home, especially another cat.
- Welcoming a new person into your home.
- Major changes in your home or environment.
- Moving to a new location.
- Competition for resources in multi-cat households. (Litter box, food, scratching posts, etc.)
- New medical diagnoses, especially if multiple trips to the vet or new medications are involved.
- Loud noises in your home.
- The sudden disappearance of a person they are close with.
- Boredom.
Though these are some of the most common causes behind stress in felines, each cat is different. Virtually anything can lead to anxiety in your feline if it impacts their life.
Some cats are also known to be more anxious than others, so even if the above factors are not present in your home, your cat can still experience anxiety.
Why Natural Remedies to Feline Anxiety Is Best
Each cat is bound to experience a stressful time in their lives. Whether it’s due to an abrupt change in their life or their anxious demeanor, it’s important to be prepared as a cat owner for the times that our feline friend needs some extra help.
Turning to medication for each stressful experience for your cat can be impractical, can lead to more stress by medicating them, and may not even resolve their anxiety in the end.
Following a natural approach to calming your cat can give you the freedom to tweak the environment, combine natural approaches, and allow you to alter your environment rather than altering the cat themselves.
If you are able to avoid the use of daily medication for your already anxious cat, then why not? Natural remedies for calming felines can be easy to implement, cost-friendly, and can result in a soothing environment for your furry friend.
Final Thoughts
Our lives can change from time to time, so it’s up to us to make sure we create a calming environment for the beloved cat companions in our home.
If your cat is displaying any signs of stress listed above, it may be time to explore some of the natural calming remedies that are available to our feline friends!
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