Mary Allen
Boredom and loneliness lead to depression and behavior problems in cats. Especially indoor cats are affected! Read how cats show they are lonely and how you can make your cat’s life more exciting.
For a long time, cats were considered loners who can easily get by on their own and are not dependent on humans or their own kind. This myth arose primarily from the fact that cats hunt alone and not in packs.
But cats are very social creatures. This does not mean that every cat that is kept alone feels a terrible longing for a fellow cat. If the cat has already made contact with people as a matter of course in the first months of life, its need for social contacts can also be compensated for later by sufficient care, attention, and occupation with its human.
But not all cats get enough attention. They suffer from boredom and loneliness and develop problematic behavior patterns over time, which the owner often discovers much too late. Indoor cats are particularly affected.
5 Signs Your Cat is Lonely
Cats show their loneliness in many different ways. Monitor your cat’s behavior closely and always make changes in behavior seriously. Veterinarians can rule out health problems for behavioral problems and give good advice on improvements in husbandry. These five behaviors can be signs that your cat is lonely and should be taken seriously.
Sign 1: Hyperactivity
Does the cat constantly seem restless, rushed, and simply unable to find peace? This could be a sign that she is lonely and bored. Cats that have spent a life as outdoor cats and are then “converted” into purely indoor cats often show their displeasure.
Of course, age also influences the cat’s urge to move. Young cats in particular still have a lot of energy, romp, and play very boisterously and wildly. Overactive thyroid or rolling skin syndrome could also be the trigger for the cat’s hyperactivity.
Sign 2: Aggression
Does the cat suddenly start attacking the human when he comes home or wants to leave the house? Does she start scratching on furniture and walls despite appropriate offers of scratching? Does she seem angry and start destroying things? All of these can be signs that the cat is lonely and bored. An aggressive cat should always be examined by a veterinarian, as pain, parasites, or tumors can also be responsible for sudden aggression. Changes in the cat’s living environment can also trigger aggressive behavior.
Sign 3: Depression
Cats spend many hours sleeping or dozing. During this time they recharge their batteries in order to be in top shape when awake. If your cat becomes very quiet, sleeps an unusual amount, plays no more or hardly at all, appears listless and disinterested, it may be that it feels lonely and boring and has developed a downright depression.
Cats in this condition also often eat less and neglect grooming. Such changes in behavior must always be taken seriously. A veterinarian should examine possible physical causes and finally, everything should be done in everyday life to give the cat joy and interest in life again.
Sign 4: Extreme Attachment
A cat that is feeling very lonely will do anything to get its attention while its human is home. The cat is constantly stroking its human’s legs, not taking its eyes off him for a second, it even leaves its feeding place when its human leaves the room.
If your human then leaves the house or is asleep, the cat likes to draw attention to itself by meowing loudly, if it returns, it reacts insulted aggressively before besieging it again. If a cat is so attached to its human, this is very harmful to the cat’s health in the long run and nerve-wracking for the human.
Sign 5: Uncleanliness
If the cat refuses to use its litter box, it is important to take countermeasures quickly. First, make sure the litter box meets the cat’s needs. Often there is a physical cause behind sudden uncleanliness (e.g. a bladder infection), which must be treated quickly by a veterinarian.
In addition, the smell of cat urine should be removed at the site of the accident. In addition to physical reasons, uncleanliness can also have psychological triggers:
- stress
- depressions
- fear
- boredom
- loneliness
This needs to be remedied quickly. The cat should never be punished if it refuses to go to the toilet. She doesn’t do this to upset her human.
8 Tips to Stop Your Cat From Feeling Lonely
If the cat is often alone or is already showing the first signs of loneliness, it is necessary to remedy the situation as quickly as possible. First, think about your cat’s basic living conditions. In addition to a thorough health check-up at the vet, the following suggestions can help to offer the cat a healthier and happier life in the future:
- A sufficiently large scratching post, catwalks in height, enough opportunities to climb, jump and hide.
- A new world: the possibility of secure access (offer a secure balcony/window so that the cat can observe the exciting world outside and get more sensory impressions.)
- Scent stimulation by creating a small cat scent garden (with cat germander, catnip, valerian).
- Give the cat more attention (short but regular play sessions, petting, clicker training, activities).
- Think about purchasing a suitable companion.
- Introduce foraging games (e.g. do not offer dry food in bowls but in fumbling cushions or intelligence toys).
- Do not leave the cat alone in a sterile, tidy apartment. Cats love a little “chaos” – so just leave the worn sweater from the day before on the floor or put it over a chair to create a cave.
- Bring exciting objects from nature (feathers, pine cones, chestnuts, stones, leaves, roots, hay, moss, driftwood).
Getting a second cat can also be a solution. But this must be well thought out! There should be no jealousy between the cats.