Clinical depression is a medically recognized and quite common human mental health disorder. Depression is considered a multifactorial disease. Sometimes depression is caused by clear emotional triggers, such as separation or loss of a loved one, financial hardship, etc. Clinical depression may also be caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. To be sure, depression in humans is easy to diagnose because of our ability to put into words how we feel.

So can cats suffer from depression? Cats are just like other animals. They also have sensory abilities and can have mood disorders.

What are the symptoms of depression in cats

What are the signs that a cat is depressed?

Loss of appetite

Activity level dropped significantly

Loss of interest in their favorite toys

Avoid people

Abnormal aggressive behavior

Changes in sleep patterns

Pooping and urinating

Abnormal self-injurious behavior, such as excessive licking, hair plucking, or excessive paw licking

Cats cannot express their emotions, but what is certain is that there are reasons for changes in behavior, and we should explore the reasons behind this.

Causes of depression in cats

There may be many reasons for cat depression, but many times it is caused by external factors:

1. Environmental reasons

Determine if any changes in the environment occurred before or around the time your cat's behavior began to change. As we all know, cats are creatures of habit, and sometimes the smallest changes in their environment can cause stress in cats. For example, moving, changing furniture, changing cat litter types, changing the location of food bowls, etc.

2. Human reasons

You are the most important part of your cat's social environment! Although cats are considered to be very independent pets, your behavior actually has a profound impact on them.

If your cat suddenly avoids people in your home, it may be that something has changed in you or any other family member:

For example, have you been feeling irritable recently? Or even changed your perfume? Are there new members of the family or friends coming over more frequently than before? Cats are often independent creatures and feel safe in their habitual lives. Small changes in their social environment and daily routine can cause anxiety in them. Anxiety is often the reason behind changes in cat behaviorbecause.

3. Reasons for other cats:

If you have more than one cat, it is always important to evaluate the social interactions and structure between group members. Multi-cat families are the most prone to cat bullying. If there is a monopoly of resources, the bullied cats may not be able to eat well, sleep well, or poop well. This may manifest itself as a loss of appetite and being stuck in a certain place. Place, peeing and peeing. In this case, we must ensure sufficient resources, artificially divide them into independent territories, and place more food, water and cat litter in more places.

In short, it is very important to provide an environment for healthy socialization of cats. When having a multi-cat household, it is always recommended to provide a "safe space" for each cat.

4. Suppress the cat’s nature for a long time

For example, long-term cage keeping causes the cat’s natural love of freedom to be stifled, shaving the cat’s hair causes the cat to lose the pleasure of licking its hair, and even wearing claw gloves on the cat causes the cat to be unable to freely extend and retract its claws, etc. These are contrary to the cat’s nature. Behavior is very hard on cats, and may lead to depression in cats over time.

Should cats go to the vet for depression?

If the cat’s behavior changes or anxiety are caused by changes in daily routine or environmental factors, the cat’s behavior should return to normal after a few days and the cat’s habitual routine and “normalcy” will return. If left unchecked, your cat may develop depression, and it's important to see your veterinarian as soon as possible if you are unsure of any changes in daily life, social or physical environment.

Furthermore, symptoms of depression in cats are non-specific and may be due to underlying health issues. For example, a loss of appetite can be caused by a simple oral injury or by a variety of gastrointestinal problems. Kidney disease can also manifest as a loss of appetite and indiscriminate urination.

Generally speaking, it is better to see a veterinarian sooner rather than later, because some diseases progress slowly, while others progress quickly and can even worsen rapidly within a day or two, such as urethral obstruction in male cats. Therefore, when you find that something has been wrong with your cat for a period of time, it is best to take it to a doctor to rule out other factors. So, what should you do if you are sure that your cat is depressed?

In addition to the medical care and management of doctors, all we can do is one word: love!

Give the cat enough attention, resources, and sense of security, and obey the cat’s nature. I believe the cat will recover slowly