We hear it all the time… cats keep getting urinary infections, bladder inflammation or crystals and no one knows why. You’ve paid thousands of dollars in vet visits and medications and now the vet is suggesting surgery. Feline Idiopathic Cystitis (FIC) is more common in male cats than female kitties, but either gender can suffer from it.
And it’s no fun for them or you. 🙁
Here’s the thing. Treating symptoms may be necessary, but we’ve got to get to the root of the problem or our kitties will continue to suffer. From the research that has been done on this condition, Feline Idiopathic Cystitis is caused by stress.
Now, maybe you’re saying, “but my cat doesn’t seem stressed out at all“. Most cats mask their anxiety in the same way that they mask pain intrinsically. Bored cats that sleep a lot are stressed out because they weren’t created to be bored. Kitties should be playing, hunting and exploring but when we confine them to our homes they don’t get the luxury of being a cat.
There are many ways to help reduce the stress in your cat, but here are 3 of the tried and true ways to help feline anxiety.
- Exercise your cat. As mentioned above, felines were designed to be moving… a lot. Exercise is the cheapest and most effective way to reduce stress in cats (and people), so start scheduling extra playtime with your kitty. A wand toy helps take them through that prey sequence (stalk, hunt, chase, kill…) and increases movement. Do this several times per day, preferably on a regular schedule.
- Feed smaller routine meals throughout the day. Okay so this one is big and you can tie it into the exercise routine above for best results. After taking your cat through the prey sequence, feed them a small meal. Cats were meant to eat several small meals throughout the day rather than 2 large ones and doing this on a routine basis gives them something to look forward to. If you are gone for a large majority of the day, try hiding the food around the house for them to hunt while you’re away.
- Give your cat natural calming formulas. We help so many kitties with Feline Idiopathic Cystitis with Cat Calm Stress Reducing Liquid Formula for Cats. Some cats just need help taking that edge off. Chemical sedatives and medications tend to make our cats into a shell of their true self, so using something natural can help without changing your cat’s personality.
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