Signs of Cat Grief and How to Understand and Help Your Cat

Cats have feelings like humans, they are happy, sad, afraid, love, hate and other feelings that affect their psychological state. In this article, we provide you with information about the signs of sadness in cats, because sadness is a bad feeling that harms the psychological and physical health of cats and can result in many complications such as depression and may develop until it reaches the death of cats. Therefore, it is important to take good care of them and provide support to them so that they do not feel sad and remain healthy and active.

Signs of cat sadness

Cats have a range of emotions that can sometimes be difficult to differentiate, but the signs of cat sadness are clear and easy to understand. If you see these signs on your cat, you must look for the reason and provide her with full support so that she can recover and get rid of her fears and sadness. You can do this by playing with her, offering rewards, and many other ideas. Lana Pets store provides its customers with a variety of toys designed for cats to make them happy and get rid of the sadness they are living in. You can also buy your cat's favorite rewards from Lana Pets store as well, which provides a wide range of them with the best flavors.

Understanding the Signs of Cat Grief: How Do You Know If Your Cat Is Suffering?

Cats get sad and depressed just like humans, and you certainly don't know what your cat is thinking, but you should know the signs of cat sadness so that you can pay attention to this problem if you encounter your cat and be able to deal with it appropriately. Here are the most common signs:

Changes in appetite: Changes in appetite are one of the most important signs of cat sadness, as you may find that your cat has a loss of appetite or an abnormal increase in appetite, which is a sign of a psychological problem.
Isolation and avoidance: These are signs of cat sadness and you should pay more attention to your cat.
Sleep disturbances: Changes in sleep patterns, whether sleeping too much or too little, are among the most important signs of cat sadness, and are a sign of a psychological problem that requires treatment. Sleeping at times when you would normally be awake is also abnormal and requires attention.
Refusal to socialize: If your cat refuses to socialize with those around them, it is a sign that they are upset about something. Examples of non-communication include stopping certain habits such as licking you, rubbing their head against yours, or jumping into your lap.
Stress and hesitation: If your cat is hesitant and stressed when dealing with those around her, this is evidence that her feelings are negative and she needs attention because she is sad about something.
Loss of interest in personal hygiene: Cats are known to care a lot about their hygiene, so we always find them licking themselves to get rid of dirt. If the cat stops these habits, it may be suffering from a certain problem.
Aggression or constant stress: Aggressive behaviors shown by your cat mean that it is sad about something and therefore acted aggressively to express its sadness. All you have to do is identify the reason and treat the problem, so that your cat returns to normal.
Changes in body weight: If you see significant changes in your cat’s body weight, this is evidence of her sadness. The cat may gain excessive weight or lose weight significantly, as a result of appetite disorders that she is also exposed to as a result of sadness.
Loss of interest in playing and lack of activity: If you notice that your cat is no longer interested in its toys, this is a sign of cat sadness. You should try to change this situation by eliminating the reason that made the cat sad, and also try to offer your cat new gifts, rewards and toys so that it feels your love and care and gets rid of its sadness.

The effect of environment and nutrition on signs of grief in cats

After we have learned about many signs of sadness in cats, we must emphasize that the environment surrounding the cat and the nutrition it receives have a great impact on its psychological state and on its feeling of sadness and the appearance of its signs on it.

For example, if a cat experiences changes in its environment, such as the addition of a new cat or the loss of an old companion, it will feel sad. Nutrition also has a significant impact, as some foods affect mood and if you constantly feed your cat the same food, it may feel sad and bored. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to food diversity in order to make your cat happy. Also, make sure to provide your cat with delicious rewards so that it can enjoy its snacks and get out of the state of sadness it is experiencing.

How to Help Your Cat Cope with Sadness and Stress

If you see signs of cat sadness in your cat, you should consult Lana Veterinary Clinic to rule out that your cat is suffering from any disease that makes it sad. The doctor can also help you by prescribing some antidepressants that are suitable for cats. Here are another set of things that will help you rid your cat of sadness, and here are the most prominent:

Stick to a routine: Try to stick to a specific routine in your cat's life, because she doesn't like change much and doesn't like noise. Therefore, make sure to set times for feeding, snacking, and bathing. The system makes cats feel more comfortable and less stressed or anxious, and thus less sad and other negative feelings.
Playing with the cat: Support your cat by allocating enough and appropriate time to play with it, because this greatly affects its psychology and helps it get rid of its sadness. Do not wait for it to come to you, but it needs you, so approach it and play with it.
Good Nutrition: Make sure to provide your cat with a healthy diet to provide her with the nutrients she needs to improve her mood. Offer her foods she likes, such as seafood, foods with broth, and delicious crunchy foods. This variety keeps her healthy.
Give her some time: Give your cat time to grieve and get over her sadness over time, she will get better once the reason that made her sad is gone.
Movement: Help your cat get out and about to improve her mood.
Nutritional and Therapeutic Supplements to Ease Your Cat’s Grief: You should provide nutritional and therapeutic supplements to help your cat get rid of her grief. This includes herbal supplements, aromatherapy, or music therapy. All of these treatments can help your cat relax and get rid of her grief. Please consult Lana Veterinary Clinic before introducing any new treatment to ensure the safety of your cat.
Understanding the Cause: The best way to help your cat get over her sadness is to figure out the cause and address it.
Commitment to medical examinations: The reason behind the cat’s sadness may be that it is suffering from a specific unknown disease, and here comes the importance of committing to periodic examinations in order to ensure the health of cats.

Causes of Cat Sadness and How to Deal with Them Effectively

After learning about the signs of cat sadness, we provide you with more information about the reasons that cause cats to be sad, and the most prominent of these reasons are the following:

Dietary issues: The type of food or changes in diet are all things that can affect your cat's mood, so be sure to provide her with food that is both favorite and beneficial at the same time.
Moving to a new house or apartment: Cats' sadness is often due to a change in their lives, especially since cats are routine creatures. For example, changing their place of residence greatly affects cats, and here you should help your cat get used to the new home by providing all its needs, and with time your cat will get used to it. The entry of a new cat into the house can also affect this situation. When changes are necessary, they should be done gradually so that cats get used to it, so it is often recommended to introduce new foods gradually over a period of 7 days.
Loneliness: If your cat is always left alone in the house, it will often show signs of cat sadness because it is bored and does not feel your love or attention towards it.
Boredom: If a cat lives in a boring environment devoid of play and encouragement, he will often experience feelings of boredom as an expression of his sadness.
Illness or pain: If cats have health problems and feel pain, they will naturally feel sad. Therefore, it is necessary to adhere to regular veterinary check-ups to ensure the health of the cat. For example, dental problems cause many pains and symptoms, including sadness.
Feeling of loss: If your cat loses one of its pet companions or its caregiver, it feels very sad and may even die in some cases. Therefore, it is important to provide adequate support to your cat in case it loses something dear to it so that it can recover faster.
Lack of stimulation: Cats need constant encouragement, so make sure to provide them with mental and physical stimulation, as it is essential for their health. It satisfies their instincts and temperaments. Cats living in small apartments suffer significantly from a lack of environmental stimulation, so interactive and stimulating toys should be provided to compensate for this deficiency in cats. For example, scratching posts and other toys.
Understanding the social nature of cats: Cats are social creatures, so if you want to rid them of signs of cat sadness, you should not leave them alone for long periods of time and you should realize that cats prefer gatherings and love social relationships.
Aging and old age: When cats reach old age, their mental and physical abilities decline, they do not feel physically comfortable, and their endurance decreases, which negatively affects their psychology and makes them feel sad. Therefore, it is important to provide them with complete veterinary care at this age. Regular check-ups should also be performed for older cats, in addition to treating age-related anxiety and improving their quality of life.
Environmental stressors: There are external factors that cause anxiety and sadness for cats, including loud construction noises, loud noises in general, fireworks, and many other things that stress your cat's senses and make her feel afraid. Therefore, it is important to provide a safe environment for your cat, such as isolated places, a cat house, a cat tree, and other things that cats resort to for protection from something and to obtain the calm atmosphere that they prefer.
Unbalanced diet: A balanced diet is the key to good mental health for both humans and cats. Therefore, it is important to provide a variety of foods for cats to maintain their mental and physical health. It is best to consult a doctor to determine the appropriate foods for your cat and their quantity according to their age, weight, and activity level.
Lack of interest in cleanliness: Cats are creatures that love cleanliness very much and spend a lot of time licking their fur and cleaning it from anything attached to it. Your cat may feel sad if you neglect to bathe, comb, and other means of caring for it. You should wash dogs daily and examine them well to ensure that they are free of diseases and problems. It is also important to take care of oral health, brush teeth, trim nails, clean ears, and other things that keep the cat clean and protect it from diseases.

The relationship between play and social interaction in reducing sadness in cats

Playing and interacting with cats helps significantly in treating signs of cat sadness. Try to play with your cat even if it refuses at first because it is sad. You have to encourage it in different ways until it responds to you. For example, buy suitable cat toys from our store, gently stroke its head, offer it its favorite food, and talk to it as if it understands you, because it will feel your love and care for it and thus get rid of its sadness.

Do cats die of sadness?

Yes, some cats die from grief, because grief produces various signs including loss of appetite, general weakness, and other things that cause the cat's health to deteriorate in general, then become sick and die. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to all signs of cat grief and deal with them immediately if they appear.

Signs of sadness in kittens

Kittens grieve too. The most important signs of kitten grief are the following:

sudden aggression

When kittens are sad, they are often aggressive and stressed, and this appears suddenly. Therefore, you find them losing the ability to interact with other pets in the house, and they may also attack their owner. They get upset over the simplest things, and this behavior is a sign of sadness. Therefore, it is important to look for the reasons for their sadness and treat these reasons.

Neglecting body care

When kittens are sad, they neglect themselves and do not take care of their bodies. However, you must make sure that these behavioral changes are due to their sadness and not due to a specific disease that prevents them from cleaning themselves. If it is due to a disease, you must consult a doctor immediately to find the appropriate treatment.

Meowing disorders

The meowing behavior of kittens changes when they are sad, we find an increase or decrease in the production of sounds. However, it should be taken into account that there are other conditions that affect the meowing of cats, such as requesting mating or suffering from some diseases.

Changes in personality

A change in your kitten's personality is one of the most important signs of cat grief. For example, if your cat starts hiding under the bed, she is likely experiencing a problem.

appetite changes

Changes in appetite are also one of the most important signs of kitten sadness, so if you find that your cat is eating more than usual or eating less than usual, you should pay attention to this matter to find out the reason and solve the problem.

urinating in inappropriate places

When kittens feel sad, they urinate in inappropriate places and start spraying everywhere as a way of expressing their sadness, but the cat does the same thing in other situations such as showing its dominance over a certain place or to ask for marriage for male cats. Therefore, it is important to know well why cats urinate in this way in order to treat the cause and get rid of this problem. It may also be necessary to consult a doctor in some cases.

loss of interest

Sad kittens lose interest in everything around them. They may stop playing or running, and they may also lose interest in things they used to enjoy. For example, they stop greeting you at the door or stop cuddling. This loss of interest appears alongside other signs of sadness. For example, they may hide under the bed and ignore calls for food.

Ignore your favorite people

Your cat ignoring you and your favorite people around her is a sign of cat grief that you should pay attention to. Excessive hair loss

Hair loss is also one of the most important signs of sadness in young and old cats. Because when a cat feels sad or stressed, it stops grooming its fur, and thus hair loss occurs.

Treating cat sadness

There are different ways to treat cat sadness, such as sticking to a specific food routine, buying and providing toys that cats prefer. In addition to setting aside time to play with your cat to make her feel your love and care, be sure to also provide her favorite foods and rewards. When introducing a new food, you should introduce it gradually, and anything new you do with your cat should be done gradually until the cat gets used to it. Here are some other great ideas to get rid of signs of cat sadness:

Provide activities that simulate hunting because it is a natural instinct in cats and helps improve mental activity in cats.
Use high perches for cats that like to climb and sit in high places.
Provide services for cats to use when they feel anxious and stressed, or when they are bored and want to play.
Use catnip because it contains a natural oil called nepetalactone that helps calm cats and gives them a mild natural euphoria.
Consult your veterinarian to make your cat happy.

Reasons why cats get upset

There are many reasons why cats get upset, the most prominent of which are:

Moving to a new house or apartment.
Welcoming a new pet into the home.
Construction work at home.
A new baby is born in the family.
Having visitors and strangers in the house
Loss of a family member or a companion.
The cat was exposed to a traumatic event.

Signs of cat death

When cats are close to death, there are some signs that occur to them, such as:

Change your regular sleep schedule.
Random sounds.
Neglecting the cat's cleanliness.
Bad body or mouth odor.
Abnormal breathing pattern.
Low heart rate.
Breathe with your mouth open.
Cloudy look in the eyes.
Increased hiding.
Lack of interaction with people.

Cats grieve when they lose their babies

Of course, cats grieve when they lose their kittens, and this can result in many symptoms such as isolation, aggression, loss of appetite, and general weakness of the body. You must provide the necessary support for your cat to get through this difficult stage of its life. You should provide the foods it prefers, play with it, offer rewards, and other good methods that improve its mood.

Do cats feel their owner's sadness?

Yes, cats feel their owners and reciprocate their feelings of love. They are indeed gentle and beautiful creatures and should be treated gently. Cats also grieve when they lose their owners, and sometimes this can lead to their death.

Signs of cat happiness

There are many signs that indicate that a cat is feeling happy, the most prominent of which are:

Purring is a sound that a cat makes when it is happy.
Slow blinking of the eyes.
Kneads you like bread dough without hurting you.
She gives you gifts like a toy or a small animal.
Cuddling and sleeping with you.
Tail language where she approaches you with her tail high and tilted.
Soft touches.
Playing with you.
It follows you everywhere.

In short, cats grieve just like humans and it is important to recognize the signs of cat grief in order to deal with them in a way that helps them get out of this state. Therefore, we have explained all these signs to you because we know that there are some who cannot recognize them and may leave their cat without attention until it gets sick and perhaps dies. We advise you to buy gifts, toys and rewards that will make your cat happy through our store.