Cats can become depressed, as you might suspect if yours has ever stopped playing or grooming, but it’s a different illness from human depression.
Dr. Bonnie Beaver of the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences at Texas A&M University says depression – “a decreased response to the environment” – in cats is common in association with medical conditions, not strictly as a mental condition. Dr. Lorie Huston, a vet and writer, says, “Feline depression is probably more aptly termed feline stress and/or
anxiety.”
The most common cause is fever. Pain, and sometimes the loss of a human or animal companion, also can trigger it.
So, look for sickness in your cat if it starts showing any of the depressive signs these vets give:
- An ungroomed coat
- Increased sleeping
- No interest in food
- Not wanting to play, or do things it once enjoyed
- Increased or decreased vocalization
- Drooling
- Not using the litter box (using other places, that is)
- Aggression against other cats in the household
- Hiding from the family
These, or any change in behavior, mean the cat should be checked out by a vet.
“Cats are normally very good about hiding mild signs of illness, so when it is obviously expressed, it’s time to see the veterinarian,” says Dr. Beaver.
Even if the cause is loss or grief, the cat may need meds for a short time. The goal is to get it interested in its environment again.
MEMO — multi-modal environmental modification – may be used for this, Dr. Huston says. It involves changing the cat’s physical environment to cut down on stress, give stimulation, and let the cat do the things all cats want to do.
Though cats don’t experience stress or depression the same way we do, they need help with it just as we do.
