With two big storms having just swept over us, some cat owners might have seen unusual behaviour from their cats. It could be anything. A cat who normally sleeps through the night might be restless and vocal – a cat who is usually addicted to laps and fuss might hide and refuse to be coaxed out – a fastidious cat might pee on the floor next to her litterbox.
You know your own cats. Some want fuss and attention, settling beside you every time you sit down. Others see themselves as Aragorn the Ranger, outside every hour they can get and strolling home briefly to check you still know how to work a can-opener. When your cat’s usual behaviour changes – when a once-sleek coat feels rough and uncared for, or a silent cat is wailing, or a bouncy chatty kitten crouches in a corner and falls silent – the cat needs your help. Look for the big, round eyes, the faster than usual breathing, sweaty pawprints, the ears stretched to hear everything. If you’re concerned that they may be in pain or ill, seek advice from a vet, but be aware it may be stress.
Cats are creatures of habit. They appreciate a settled life. When the rain turns to hailstones or the winds begins to tear at the trees, it’s unsettling; for humans as well as cats. And when cats have that sense of when the weather is about to turn violent, they fret. They run around, leap onto tables and worktops, hide, dig their claws into the sofa… All this could be hours before the storm arrives.
There are several ways of helping a cat under stress.
SCENT
Start with their most highly-tuned sense – smell. I won’t mention the product name, as there may be others, but there is a scent product often recommended by vets that is said to reduce anxiety in cats. It can be used in a diffuser or sprayed onto cushions or bedding. I’m in two minds about this. It may well work with some cats by replicating the scent produced by a calm and relaxed cat – or it might trigger a reaction of “There’s a storm coming, and now my bedding smells different! Help!” It’s definitely worth planning ahead so that the cat’s bedding or favourite cushion is not freshly washed – that it has the familiar smell of safe sleeping place. If you can, add something like a fleece or jumper that smells of you, or of the cat’s favourite family member. If they have a litter tray – keep an extra vigilant eye on it to keep it fresh and clean, so that they aren’t put off from using it if they need to.
HEARING
Next, think about their hearing. Cats have excellent hearing – even if your cat is two hundred yards away, open a tin that might perhaps contain tuna and he or she will come running. So that distant sound of a large branch cracking and falling, the wild whoosh of trees, even car tyres running through deep puddles on a busy road outside – the cat hears it all, and they know it’s somehow different from an ordinary day. Give them a place to retreat that’s quiet and undisturbed, and don’t try to coax them out. Let them sit there and come to understand that they’re safe.
Domestic cats are solitary by nature, though they can learn to live peaceably with cat companions. If they don’t want to be touched or approached, let them be. Keep a calm atmosphere in the house and let them choose when to come and find you. When they do, you and your cat can say to each other – “Pretty scary weather, eh?” and let life go back to normal.
