How to know if my cat is sad

The behavior of a cat can determine its mood, so, depending on how it moves, you can know if it is happy, relaxed, fearful, and so on. Depression in cats can also be diagnosed by observing your friend, although it is best if you think that this may be your friend”s situation, contact a veterinarian who will help you confirm the diagnosis and will indicate the best way to be able to proceed to improve the quality of life of the animal. In this article we are going to show you how to know if a cat is sad by giving you some tips that will help you recognize this state of mind in it.

Steps to follow:

1. One of the easiest ways to tell if a cat is sad is to observe its sleeping habits. Think that, as a general rule, these animals sleep about 16 hours a day but when they are sad their hours of sleep increase and they will look much more listless throughout the day. Thanks to living with your cat, it is easy for you to know a little about the hours that they usually sleep and, therefore, if you see that they have increased lately, you can begin to intuit that there is something that does not work quite well.

2. The sadness or depression in a cat also affects lunchtime because the animal will show more listless and lifeless. As with people who, when we are down, we sleep more and eat less, the same thing happens to animals. But, also, the opposite case can happen: that he begins to eat excessively to satisfy his discomfort, this type of behavior is more obsessive and tries to alleviate a deficiency that he is feeling at a mental level.

So, if you notice that the animal has changed in its behavior with food, it may be because it is sad although there may also be other reasons related to the physical health of the animal so, the best thing is that you go to a veterinarian to get him a medical checkup. In this article we discover why a cat does not eat.

3. It is also common for a sad cat to become distant, unloving and can even have aggressive attitudes even with their owners. This happens because they are in a difficult emotional moment and they do not find the balance and, therefore, they will be more irascible with their family and friends than usual. In this sense, the reaction is the same as that of people who, when we have a bad day, we can yell or get angry about nonsense because we are more susceptible.

4. One of the most outstanding characteristics of felines is that they are very clean and neat animals, they spend much of the day grooming themselves and taking care of their fur. However, when the animal is sad, it is likely to abandon itself and, therefore, its hair appears much duller, tangled or dull. Although feline sadness can also produce just the opposite effect, that is, the animal spends much more hours of the day cleaning itself excessively and obsessively. Both signs can determine that something happens to the animal.

5. You can also tell if a cat is depressed because it communicates less with you. It is common for these animals to meow, purr or make sounds when they are happy and cheerful, so if the cat is sad it may be that it stops “talking” to you as it did before or that its meows are more intense.

Think that, in the case of cats, meows can be interpreted in different ways since they can denote joy, they can be asking for something or they can be crying, so it is important that you be attentive to their behavior and you can know what it is that is trying to communicate.

6. Another sign that a cat is sad is if you notice that, lately, it is hiding much more frequently. It is true that these animals tend to hide in the most remote places (boxes, cabinets, sheets, etc.), this they usually do for heat and protection, it is their natural instinct; However, if you detect that in recent times it is hiding much more than before, it is because, perhaps, the animal is not happy or has the desire to socialize.

7. It is also common for depressed cats to stop using the litter box where they commonly stool. This is one of the most obvious signs that there is something in the animal that is not working quite well and it wants to communicate with you by changing its behavior patterns so that you know what is happening.

However, it is important that you know the difference between being depressed or marking because, like all animals, if the cat feels threatened in its territory or is insecure, it can mark with a little urine to make clear which is your area. But if you find urine or feces around the house it may be that the animal is depressed although, it is true, that there are also other causes that can produce this behavior, such as, for example, that the box is dirty. In this article we tell you why a cat does not use the litter box.

8. Given any of the signs that we have just detailed, it is best to go to a veterinarian to examine the animal and determine if there is any other condition that may be altering the behavior of the animal. In case nothing appears in the results, it is likely that then the change is of a mental nature and, therefore, we have to start paying more attention to contribute to its improvement. What you can do to treat a sad cat is the following:

• More attention: it is important that if the animal is sad, it counts on you and you are close to it. Giving him pampering, affection, and attention will help him feel much more comfortable and can reduce his sadness.
• Play with it: although there are many types of cats, the truth is that most of them like to play for a little while a day, so we advise you to buy some toys and spend about 15 minutes a day playing.
• Do not leave him alone for a long time: when a cat is depressed, what he needs most is company, so it is best to try not to leave him more time than is strictly necessary at home and, if you do, leave toys within his reach so that he can entertain as well as the open curtain so you can look out onto the street.
• Comb it: if you see that sadness has caused the animal to neglect and stop grooming itself, what you can do is take over and clean its fur, brush it, cut its nails, and so on. He will feel much better and you will reduce his sadness.