Cat Calmers

Peaceful Guest Introductions

When guests are in your home, always let your cat decide whether she would like to interact with them or not. If a guest approaches or tries to stroke your cat, she may feel threatened or fearful. Let it be on your cat's terms.

Calming Diffusers Can Help Your Cat Stay Relaxed

Cats use pheromones to help them feel safe and calm. Managing your cat's stress through changes in the home during the holidays is much easier when you can mimic those calming pheromones. You can help your cat maintain a sense of calm.

Plug a calming diffuser in a few days before any festivities begin, so it has time to start working.

Create a Safe Space for Your Cat

To keep stress levels down, create a place for your cat where she will feel comfortable and protected while observing all the new activity in the home. Consider using a covered bed under a table, or a pop-up cat tent to create a sense of privacy for her. Spray the hide-away with calming pheromones to make it inviting. If you have a kitten, a heated bed with a pillow that vibrates like a mother's heartbeat will help keep him calm.

Some cats might prefer to be confined to one area (like a bedroom) with the door shut. This space should have all the necessary items (food, water, litter box, toys, and a bed) 

 

Promote Confidence-Building Activities

One of the best ways to help cats feel more confident and less stressed is to play with them using a wand toy that you maneuver. Your cat is at her most confident and fear-free when she is hunting—or in this case, preying—on her toys. A moving toy can be much more enticing for a cat to stalk and chase than a stuffed mouse toy “asleep" on the floor.

Cats can also feel extra confident if they have high places to retreat to, so consider setting up window perches, cat trees, or cat condos. The right toy can provide an added bonus of distracting your cat from holiday decorations and the Christmas tree. If you give your cat a special hideaway that only comes out during the holidays, she might lose interest in your tree altogether.

Provide Mental Stimulation

A cat's instinct is to work for her food. So consider incorporating a food puzzle into your cat's dry food or treat regimen to provide much-needed outlet that many housecats lack. This can be an effective way to help her de-stress.

Extra Attention Goes a Long Way

Grooming, stroking, or just spending some extra time with your cat, even if only a few minutes here and there, can help improve your cat's confidence and diminish stress. As long as your cat enjoys the affection, it can help strengthen the bond with you. Your cat loves you, and the more time you spend together, the better she will feel.

Predictability is Important

Cats become used to routines, and if something in their predictable schedule changes, it can cause stress. This can be especially true for cats that are fed at certain times of the day. If you're going to be out late and unable to feed your cat her evening meal on time, get a timed feeder which dispenses food when your cat expects it. There are timed feeders for both dry and canned food varieties. Try to maintain other routines too, like the specific time of day you play a game, or a nightly snuggles on the sofa