Is My Cat Depressed or Sick After Moving?

Cats have emotions just like humans do. A depressed cat is not something anyone wants to see. Most of the time, cat owners will not be able to tell or be aware that their cat is depressed. Therefore if there are any changes in your cat, it is important to keep a close eye on it and ensure that it is not depressed.

Signs of Depression in Cats

Be more observant of your cat, and be aware of if the cat portrays any signs of depression.

Change in Vocals

There might be changes in your cat’s vocals, such as either it meows more or less. These changes are a sign that your cat is not in its best mental condition.

Body Language

Often, your cat’s body language can hint at the change in your cat’s mood. Some signs related to body language that you may notice in cats when they are depressed are things like their ears being held back, their fur may be standing, etc.

Personality Changes

Changes in personality such as; disliking or not enjoying activities that they are used to enjoying or liking. When a cat is depressed, its fear of strangers becomes heightened, which can often become quite frustrating.

Excessive Sleep

It is very well known that cats sleep for long periods of time. But depressed cats sleep even longer than they used to. Small changes, such as the spot they always nap or sleep in, are also signs of depression.

Change in Grooming Habits

Depressed cats or unwell cats often halt grooming themselves or begin to groom themselves but poorly.

Not Using Litter Box

Cats that are not trained will often not use their litter box and some cats rarely ever urinate in places other than the litter box. However, depressed cats have a more often and noticeable change in bathroom habits

Signs of Sickness in Cats

Just like humans, cats are extremely good at hiding their sickness until the point where they are feeling very unwell.

Excessive Drinking Water

The excessive drinking of water by a cat is a very common sign of kidney issues. This is why it is significant for you and your cat to get it checked out.

Bad Breath

Bad breath has the possibility of resulting in a depressed cat because of dental pain, which is the case for most cats. However, there is also a chance of it being a periodontal disease.

Change in Appetite

A change in appetite is the most common sign of your cat being sick. And there are a number of possibilities as to why your cat may be having a change in appetite.

Less Movement

Your cat may even be injured, especially if it is not moving around so much anymore and stays in the same spot for long time periods.

Reasons Cats Get Depressed

There are many reasons why a cat can be depressed, and some of them are mentioned below.

Sick

If your cat is sick with something like arthritis, they begin to stop jumping on the couch, bed, or window. This can result in your cat being depressed.

Injured

And in situations where your cat may have been injured in any way, it can affect them negatively, and if they struggle to adjust to the permanent injury, it can lead to the cat being depressed.

Loss of a Family Member

Based on the cat’s past experiences and living conditions, they may or may not be social and experience grief similar to that of what we humans feel. When a family member passes away, the cat will experience the loss and will most definitely grieve if they had a connection with the person. Cats can also experience grief when it comes to the loss of a feline that lived in the same house as well. It is very common for the cat to go through grief. There’s no better way to honor a passed feline than by getting cat portraits made in their memory.

Moved to a New House

A sudden change in environment and location can be very frustrating for cats in the same way as how humans get frustrated as well. If the owner has moved to a smaller house than the one they were already living in, the cat will have a minimum and extremely limited space, with barely any chance to explore, which can lead to depression, boredom, and laziness.

How to Cheer Up a Depressed Cat

Although cats do go through depression, there are still effective ways to reduce it and improve their mental health day by day and step by step.

Spend Time with Them

Spending time with your cat can do so much more than you think. Your presence around them and the comfort you provide will slowly and gradually improve their mental health. You have to show that you care and want to spend time with them genuinely. Some cats enjoy scratches on the side of their face or under their face. If your cat likes and enjoys it, gently do it for them. As long as they enjoy it, it will benefit their mental health. Remember a fun memory with your cat by getting custom cat T-shirts made in remembrance.

Introduce New Toys

Buying new toys for your kitten is a great way to keep them distracted and away from the habits that negatively affect their mental health. The toys will get them excited and will keep them occupied. It will become a hobby for them.

Get a Play Buddy

As a matter of fact, getting a play buddy will be just as better as they will have a friend and will be occupied. It will also prevent boredom and laziness.

Final Verdict

To conclude, a cat can very much get depressed, and that is also because for many reasons. It all depends. However, as mentioned above, there are ways to make them feel better, and they should be applied if you have a depressed cat.