The most important signs of cat sadness:
Causes of cat depression:
Cats may suffer from depression just like humans, and the reason behind their depression may differ, whether it is moving from one house to another or losing a dear companion, and depression may be difficult to detect in cats because changes in the behavior of cats may be minor and may pass without notice, except Observing the cat well can help you notice signs of depression and enable you to properly intervene and solve the problem.
Pay attention to any recent change. There are many causes for cat depression, so think of any major recent changes that may be causing your cat to become depressed.
Have you moved to a new home? A home change is one of the biggest causes of depression in cats, as many cats have trouble moving from one house to another and may go through a temporary phase of depression as they adjust to the new home.
Did one of the residents of the house die? Whether it is a human being or another pet, death affects cats, and if cats do not understand death in the same way that a person understands death, they will notice the absence of this person or animal, which may lead to depression.
Have your concerns increased recently? Whether the reason for your busyness is work, a change in your social life, or if you get to know a new person and start to spend less time with the cat, this may easily cause the cat to become depressed. Cats - especially Siamese cats - are social creatures and may become depressed if you feel neglected.
Cats may be affected by a certain time of the year and may feel depressed during the winter months.
The day in the winter months is short, which means less exposure to sunlight, and the lack of exposure to sunlight causes the cats to become depressed, which leads to behavioral changes in them, and if you notice a change in the cat's personality during that season, this may mean that it is going through seasonal depression.
Sunlight affects the level of melatonin and serotonin, which causes a person or cat to feel anxiety, stress, and sadness, and cats who live outside the home suffer from seasonal depression at a higher rate than domestic cats, because they spend more time in open spaces.
What should you do to find out if your cat is really suffering from depression:
Watch your cat's sleeping habits. Cats sleep a lot, and cats may sleep about 16 hours throughout the day, and if you notice that the cat is sleeping more than usual, this may be a sign of depression.
You may find it difficult to determine whether the cat sleeps too much or not because it sleeps under normal conditions for long hours, but you will likely have an idea of the times your cat is active, and the times it usually sleeps, and you can use that knowledge of the cat's habits to monitor Changes that may occur to her sleep.
If your cat used to wake up in the morning, for example to pet you and found that it no longer does so and that it continues to sleep, then that may be a sign of depression, and if you used to find it awake after your work hours and noticed that it was sleeping at that time, then this may be Another sign.
Watch for any change in the cat’s activity and energy, as some cats are a bit lazy by nature, but if you find that the cat that you used to see active has become more lazy than usual during her waking times, or she has been sitting in her bed all the time, this may be a sign of depression.
Watch for increased vocalization. Cats have a wide range of vocal expressions, whether it is meowing, howling, or hissing, and if you notice that the cat makes more sounds than it is used to, it may be related to depression.
Cats suffering from depression may cry or scream in response to relatively minor stimuli and may make random noises throughout the day, as this may be their way of communicating and expressing their feeling that they are not feeling well.
And just as you did with sleep, you should notice the amount of change in the sounds the cat makes relative to the rate at which it is accustomed to it, and if your cat is accustomed to making loud and many noises to express its presence or to arouse your attention, then this may not be considered an indication of its depression because that is its character, But if the cat is naturally calm and shows a noticeable change in her vocalizing rate and begins to meow or cry at night, this may be her way of expressing her unhappiness.
The cat's vocal expressions may increase after the death of a person or pet with her in the house, and the cat may cry as a form of assisting that missing person or animal until it can be found.
Monitor your cat's eating habits. Depressed cats may eat more or less than usual as a response to their grief, so you should note the amount of food the cat eats and notice any difference from its normal range.
Loss of appetite is a major factor in depression, whether, in humans or cats, you may notice that the cat has become less interested in eating and does not eat at its usual feeding times and that it leaves its dry or wet food untouched, and it may suffer from weight loss as a result of these changes.
The opposite may happen and the cat shows binge eating, although this condition is less common than its predecessor, it does happen, and if you notice that the cat has become more willing to eat, especially if it begins to gain more weight, this may be one of the signs of depression.
Note the cat's fur. When cats suffer from depression, they neglect or clean themselves too much, and you may start to notice this.
If the cat's hair appears dirty and dull, this may mean that it is not interested in cleaning itself, and you will also notice that it stops cleaning itself as it used to and if it is one of its habits to clean itself after eating in a certain place in the room, and it stops that habit, this may mean that it has depression.
Cats suffering from depression may begin to clean themselves profusely to reduce the anxiety associated with depression, and you will notice more periods of cleaning for themselves than usual, and this may lead to some areas of their body becoming bald or reddening of the skin as a result of excessive cleaning.
Note the rate at which the cat hides. Although cats are social beings, they like from time to time to have some time alone, and it is not strange for cats to choose a specific place to hide, such as the bottom of the wardrobe or under a certain table in the house, but hiding them too much may be a sign of Depression.
When a cat becomes depressed, it may hide in a place where it will be difficult for you to find it. Instead of slumping under the table or at the bottom of the closet, for example, it may choose one of the hidden corners of the house that it cannot easily find in it.
Only you can determine whether the cat's disappearance rate has increased or not, according to your knowledge of its normal habits, as some cats like to hide more than others, but if your cat has become accustomed to spending a certain time of the day in the living room and suddenly it spends That time hiding in a corner, that behavior change could be a sign of depression.
Note problems with your cat handling its litter box. Because these problems express the cat's stress and stress, which is one of the signs of depression in cats.
Distinguish between urination problems and the cat’s positioning of urine marks to determine its area, so the cat (especially the male cats) urinating around the area in which it lives as a type of determining its control is not considered a sign of depression, and this type of urine is usually found on vertical surfaces and has a pungent smell And, the cat may do this if he feels that his area of control is under threat, and it is not considered a manifestation of depression, except that the tension between the cat and other pets or other cats in the house, may cause it to stress, anxiety, and depression, so you have to manage any conflict around the areas Take control before it affects their mental health.
If you find urine or feces in different places in the home, this may be a sign of cat depression, and cats may urinate outside the box if they do not like its shape, size, or type, or if it is dirty, but if the box is clean and you have not made any adjustments recently, A cat's change in urination behavior may indicate depression.
