How To Calm A Cat Down? Proven Ways To Soothe Your Pet

Cats are the most popular animal companion species.

An intelligent and frustratingly independent whiskered friend could be your companion and playmate. However, when we anticipate or encounter danger, the first thing we do is to try to hide if fighting back is not an option.

So does our feline friend! And when they do show aggression and bad behavior, it's important for us to make them feel safe and take care of their health.

When you anticipate any danger or threat, you become anxious, and in the case of cats, they might be anticipating it even though there is no danger. At such times you may notice some bodily and behavioral changes. These changes may take a toll on your health.

These changes include increased respiratory and heart rate, trembling, panting, and salivation. You might also notice your cat hiding, destroying things frequently, increasing its movement, and excessive vocalization. These aren't good for their health.

Do not panic! We are here to help you out. Allowing your cat to play a one-sided game of hide-and-seek all of the time is not a good idea. At least once or twice a day, interact with your cat.

With your hand, gently groom your cat. It may be too embarrassed or afraid to clean itself. Speak in a soft, soothing tone.

Do not confuse fear with aggression. Fear is a common emotion. 'Hissing is a kind of communication used by cats as a warning. It doesn't always imply that they're aggressive, cats may be in fear'. It is the same with growling. Miller describes the low growl as 'simply a sort of anxiousness expression.'

By the end of this article, you will know how to calm a cat down that is angry as well as notice if there are any medical issues. It is important to understand your pet's body language.

After reading about managing aggression in the behavior of cats, do check how to bathe a guinea pig and how to bathe a dog.

Ways To Calm A Cat

How do you calm down a cat with anxiety? The intelligence, perceptiveness, sensitivity, and that cute soothing voice of cats make them lovable and cuddling pets.

For the same reasons, cats might feel anxious during a range of activities, such as a new guest visiting the house or a trip to the veterinarian. A veterinary surgeon, often known as a veterinary physician, is a medical specialist who treats diseases, problems, and injuries in nonhuman animals.

The key is to notice your pet's behavior and, once you have, you will find what is to be done next!

When you notice that your cat is showing symptoms of anxiety, like hiding, destroying things, frequently littering, meowing due to stress, and much more, the first thing you should do to help your cat is to refrain from smothering it.

Unlike humans who might prefer to be hugged when distressed, cats may be a little reserved by nature, and smothering them at the time when they're anxious is the most frequent mistake cat parents make.

Unless the kitty itself comes and sits on your lap, try giving your kitty some space. Cats need their space.

Your cat may get scared by a new and unfamiliar element in your house; maybe your friend's visit to complete a project or something else, a dog arrives along with your guest, or kids come along with your guests.

If your cat is not familiar with them, it may make a cat feel uncomfortable, so take it slow while helping them to adapt to new people and things.

Fidgeting and hurrying a sudden change could be stressful for your cat and are not advisable for good cat parenting. Besides this, you can arrange a soft, cozy, stress-free environment with easily accessible food, expose them to different scents, sing for them or talk to them, or play soft music on low volumes.

Different types of smells can help to calm your cat down.

The scent of different kinds of herbs such as catnip, valerian, and chamomile are all helpful. Whatever you choose to do, the key is to give them space and time so that cats can adjust themselves slowly.

How To Calm Down A Hyper cat

Cats are sensitive animals and calming a hyper cat or calming a cat with anxiety are both gentle and time-consuming processes. Cats sitting calmly might suddenly become hyperactive; this is to vent out the suppressed energy stored inside their body. In such cases, all you need to do is to drain out their stored energy. Let's see how!

Cats usually become hyperactive at their mealtimes or when they are hungry. As a kitty-buddy, you need to plan a proper meal schedule and feed them natural food accordingly.

Cats often become hyperactive to vent out their suppressed energy, and for that, the best thing to do is to hold play sessions. The choice to play and join them during playtime sessions depends upon you, meaning you can hold one session a day or two to three small sessions per day.

You can also buy your feline buddy toys upon which they could jump, scratch, or run after. They will want to play for hours.

To calm down a hyperactive cat, you can also take it out for a walk. If it's possible, you can get another feline friend for your kitty.

Furthermore, kittens are reserved, and so it's best to give your cat some space and time. In case playing with your cat, scheduling mealtimes for your kitty, or giving it space doesn't work out, it is recommended for you to get your cat examined for hyperthyroidism.

In such medical cases, cats exhibit hyperactive stress along with a decrease in their appetite and sleep. This could be treated through various methods, but you need to be aware of whether it's hyper-activeness or hyperthyroidism.

How To Calm A Cat Down At Night

Cats are feline animals that are lovable but imagine yourself going to bed after a very tiring day and suddenly your cat is hyperactive or upset! Wouldn't that be exhausting? In such moments you cannot schedule playtime for it nor can you sit with it for hours.

Then what can you do? Let's find out! Remember there will be some things that will work instantly and some that will take a little time.

How about adding things like cat trees or interactive toys and keeping your cats busy during the day? This way it will be engaged all throughout the day and is likely to sleep during the night without disturbing you with any noise.

If you can manage to take some time out from your schedule, try playing with it and get out its stored energy.

While you're planning out mealtime for your cat, you can schedule it in such a way that its night mealtime is just before going to bed. That way, your cat is likely to get drowsy and fall asleep.

There are toys available that can be activated by your cat's touch; buy them for your kitten or else leave your cat's favorite toys out and let it play at night while you sleep.

An automatic feeder could be your best friend if your cat wakes you up at night and asks for food. Your cat might need to use a litter tray at night and meow all night.

It might not be possible for you to take your cat out, so bring in a litter box for it to be able to do it alone and save you a trip. A litter box can be helpful for your cat to litter anytime if you're not around.

In case your cat meows excessively and does not demand anything, it's best to visit the veterinarian for advice.

How To Calm Down A Scared Cat

Cats are a proven friend when humans feel anxious or down, but what about if your pet is feeling scared or anxious? There are certain things you may consider as a rule to calm down your cat at such moments. Here they are!

When your cat is scared of something, don't try to pick it up or cuddle it. In some cases, there is a chance that your pet may not like it and it could become aggressive and attack you.

So, the first rule is to keep calm and give them some space. To calm down an aggressive cat, you need to give it its own space.

This does not mean you should overlook them being scared or aggressive. If possible, remove stressful elements from the room, dim the lights, play some soothing music, put your cat's essentials at an approachable distance, and keep a litter box around.

Treats might also work sometimes. At times when you're taking your cat to the veterinarian or going on a long vacation, it's possible that your cat might get scared of the car and its carrier. It's best to get them adapted to the carrier beforehand.

However, this does not mean it'll not get scared on an actual ride in the carrier. Be prepared for this by taking plenty of treats and eating stuff your cat likes to make it less aggressive or stressed.

Besides that, if your cat gets excessively scared, you can also use pheromones. Pheromones will be helpful for your cat to calm down and take away its stress. Catnip is an easily available herb that can calm and soothe some cats.

It is advisable that, when you visit the vet, you ask about external things like sprays or medications that you can use to avoid any kind of complications. A vet's advice is most helpful in such cases where your cat needs medication. But first, you need to calm a cat down for the vet.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 'How to calm a cat down' then why not take a look at 'How to calm a dog down,' or 'Ragdoll facts.'