As a at owner, the health and wellbeing of your furry little friend is your number one priority. Everybody has a bad time one in a while, whether that’s a bad day at work, the break up of a relationship, or the loss of a loved one. This may get you wondering, can cats feel sad?
All cats have unique personalities with some naturally being more quiet and reserved than others. But if your cats behavior has recently changed and they have all of a sudden acting out of character, could this be a sign of a sad cat?
If your cat is sad, could this lead to depression in the same way that it effects humans? All of this will be revealed inside of this article to provide you with well researched, informative that will be invaluable to all of you at owners out there. Can cats feel sad? Let’s dive right in!
Can Cats Feel Sad?
Cats certainly do shows signs of sadness and depression but it is believed that the emotional changes experienced by a cat are not the same as a human experiences when suffering from clinical depression.
Diagnosis of depression in humans is based on self-reported symptoms and caused by medical or stressful situations due to chemical imbalances in the brain. As a cat cannot verbally express how they are feeling, whether that be anger, anxiety, sadness, or joy, we must rely on visually seeing their daily activities and behavior.
There are a number of signs and symptoms that indicate a sad or depressed at such as excessive sleep, spraying, and various different body language clues. We will go into more depth on all of these, plus more in the next section.
How can you tell if your cat is sad?
1. Excessive sleep
With the average adult cat sleeping 12-16 hours each day and some even up to 20 hours, this one can a little tricky to judge. The key is to notice if there any changes in your cats sleeping pattern. If they have always slept a lot then this is fine. If they are suddenly sleeping more than usual, or even less, this may be a sign that they are sad.
2. Excessive Scratching
Cats have a habit of scratching certain locations in the house such as the sofa or carpet, which is why you should have a a variety of horizontal and vertical scratching posts in different locations around the home. But if your cat has suddenly started to scratch even more than usual, this may be because they are unhappy and trying to relieve stress.
3. Vocal Clues
When it comes to personality, all cats are very unique and different. Some cats are very vocal and some are just naturally very quiet. Even a quiet cat may give out some vocal clues if they are unhappy. These are usually low-pitched noises mournful yowls. If you have a cat that is generally quit vocal, they may become quiet if they are unhappy.
4. Spraying
A cat urinating in inappropriate places may be your cats way of using their own scent to make themselves feel better because they are feeling sad. There are a number of different reasons for them urinating outside of their litter box, but the most common reasons are depression, stress, and sadness.
5. Clingy or Hiding
Again this will differ depending on your cats personality. A more lively cat may suddenly become less interested in activities or toys that they used to love. You may also find they become more reclusive and go into hiding. Cats who are more quite may become very clingy and follow you everywhere you go.
6. Body Language
A cats body language can be a massive clue on their level of happiness. Let’s take a look at some of the body positions of a cat.
- Tail down: This may indicate a cat who is scared or unhappy.
- Ears back and flat against head: Not only is this a sign your cat may be unhappy, but it also may indicate a scared or defensive cat that may show aggression.
- Whiskers pulled tightly back: Signal fear or aggression.
- Fur: Raised fur on the back can be a sign of fear, aggression, or unhappiness.
7. Aggression or Fear
After learning about a cats body language from the sign above, you will notice that a lot of body positions means aggressive behavior. You will generally find that a sad cat will become more aggressive. If you notice that your cats behavior has suddenly changed and they have become more fearful and aggressive, this may be a sign that they are sad.
8. Not Eating
If your cat has suddenly stopped eating or even snubbing their favorite treats that they usually love, this may indicate your cat is not feeling happy.
9. Poor Grooming
When it comes to grooming, younger cats generally groom quit a lot. Grooming will gradually decline as the cat gets old. Cats who are depressed and not feeling happy will often neglect grooming.
Reasons Why a Cat Gets Depressed and Unhappy
We have answered the question of can cats feel sad and shown you all of the signs to look out for, let’s now take a look at why cats get depressed in the first place.
1. Illness
Illness or even pain from an injury will cause your cat to feel unhappy, just as it would in a human. You know from your own personal experience how medical issues or injuries can make you feel grumpy and miserable. If your cat is ill or injured then they will start to show the signs which we described above such as not wanting to eat or not as playful.
If your cat is showing a lot of signs of unhappiness then it’s always best to book an appointment with a veterinarian to be on the side side.
2. Arrival of a New Pet
Cats are very territorial creatures who don’t like to share, and the arrival of a new pet can cause your cat to become unhappy. If they are used to having the house to themselves with their own favorite spots in the house, the arrival of a new cat or even dog taking over their personal space can trigger their behavior to change.
3. Loss of a Loved One
Losing a someone from the house weather that be a human or pet may cause your cat to grieve and become depressed. Cats like everything to stay the same with the same routines and familiar faces. They hate change and somebody from the house suddenly not being there is a major change that can have an effect on your cats happiness.
What is the solution to this?
As with humans, time is one of the best remedies, but you can also try cat pheromones which is a great way to make your cat feel happier.
4. Lack of Mental Stimulation
Cats need mental stimulation on a daily basis which includes things such as cat trees & towers, cat furniture, scratching posts, and a wide variety of at toys. Without a setup like this, a cat can be become very bored which leads to sadness and depression.
Depression in Cats: Treatment
1. Mental Stimulation
If a cat is not receiving enough mental stimulation, they will become bored which can lead them to become unhappy and depressed. Cats have natural instincts such as to hunt or pounce. The best way to avoid boredom is to emulate this natural instincts with the use of toys and other objects you can setup around the house.
Tip 1: Play sessions
Have a number of 10 minute play sessions throughout the day. This will prevent boredom and also build a great bond between you and your cat.
Tip 2: Mimic hunting
The way to do this is by hiding some of your cats favorite treats in different locations around the house. This provides great stimulation for your cat and will mimic the way they hunt in the wild.
Tip 3: Puzzle feeders
Interactive puzzle feeders are a great way of stimulating your cat whilst enjoying their favorite treats. Here are our recommendations:
Catit Senses 2.0 Food Tree
- More details on the Catit Senses 2.0: >>Click Here<<
- Full range of recommended puzzle feeders: >>Click Here<<
Tip 4: High Perches
Cats climbing and to be up high, so providing a solution to this in your home will keep your cat happy. Cat trees are a great option which can be placed in front of windows which will allow your cat to view the outside world. Here are our recommendations:
Go Pet Club 72″ Cat Tree
- More details on the Go Pet Club 72″ Cat Tree: >>Click Here<<
- Full range of recommended Cat Trees: >>Click Here<<
Tip 5: Scratching Posts
You should have lots of scratching posts around the house. Tall scratching posts are the best which enables your cat to fully stretch their muscles, but you should also have different variations. The reason this works is because scratching is a way that cats naturally mark their territory and will help them feel more secure. Here are our recommendations:
PetFusion Ultimate Cat Window Climbing Perch
- More details on the PetFusion Ultimate Cat Window Climbing Perch: >>Click Here<<
- Horizontal cat scratch posts: >>Click Here<<
- Full range of cat scratch posts: >>Click Here<<
2. A Sense of Routine
As previously mentioned in this “can cats feel sad” article, cats do not like change. They like consistent routines on a daily basis and any break of routine can cause unhappiness in your cat. If you notice your cats behavior has suddenly changed and they show any signs of unhappiness, have a think if anything in yours or your cats routine has changed.
If you realise that some changes have been made, then restoring your old routine could make your cat happy again.
3. Anti-Depressant Medication
If you have tried everything and your cats still not eating or their behavior hasn’t returned to normal, then they may need short term medication. As well as prescription drugs, some other options you could try are:
- Fellway: A cat pheromone
- Zylkene: A food supplement that has a natural anti-anxiety effect.
It’s always best to book an appointment with a veterinarian to get professional advice on all of these methods.
Popular Questions
Can cats sense sadness in humans?
There is new research and strong evidence to suggest that cats can sense sadness, as well as other emotions. The experiment involved 12 cats and their owners to study the difference in emotion a at shows when faced with different emotions from their owners.
The results showed that the cats displayed more positive behaviors such as purring, rubbing, and wanting to spend more time with their owner when their owners where smiling compared to when they were frowning
Can cat’s cry?
Modern scientists believe that humans are the only animals that cry actual tears when they experience strong forms of emotion. Although cats do not physically cry tears, they do produce sounds similar to a human whimper or whine when they are feeling upset, anxious, or angry.
Do cats feel sad when you give them away?
Cats are well known for being very independent creatures, so it may come as a surprise to know that cats can get separation anxiety which an stress them out and lead to other issues. The thing with cats is that they love routine, so any change to a routine such as giving them away can be very disorientating for your cat and confuse them.
Although separation anxiety is rare, here are some signs of stress to look out for:
- Weeing in the house
- Being aggressive towards people in your household
- Hiding away
- Under or over-grooming
- Spending more time sleeping
- Being very alert.
Do cats get sad when you yell at them?
Yelling at your cat will not necessarily make them sad, but it will frighten them which an cause anxiety and stress. It’s always advised to never yell at your at.
Do cats get depressed when another cat dies?
You may often wonder, Do cats feel sad when another cat dies? As cats are creatures of habit, any change in the environment such as another cat dying, or even a human, can have a negative effect on their emotions.
Can Cats Feel Sad Conclusion
Can cats feel sad? Although emotional experiences are not the same as that felt by a human, cats do show signs of sadness and depression with body language and changes in their usual routine. If you provide plenty of mental stimulation, play sessions, toys, and a consistent routine, you will have a very happy kitty.
