What are some signs of stress that a cat owner can recognize?
Karen Overall: One sign is if their cat used to dig in the litter box, but since they brought that other cat home or that new boyfriend, the cat’s standing on the edge of the litter box and not scratching. The key is to know what normal is. The classic sign of urinary tract infection is when the cat urinates frequently in small amounts because it hurts. People tend not to watch their cats go to the bathroom — and they really need to. Cat Facts: What can you do to relieve stress? Karen Overall: There are lots of ways you can increase the complexity of the social or physical environment. Most people really don’t want to have empty cardboard boxes sitting all over the house, but if you’ve got a terrace, you can screen it in. That can work very, very well for many animals. They can sit out there and smell stuff, but they’re still safe. I would use food toys and roller treat balls. I love the little scratching posts where if they scratch hard enough, treats will come out. You can arrange t
