Content
- 1. Over-cleaning
- 2. Excessive food intake
- 3. Sleeping excessively
- 4. Cat destroyer
- 5. Cat stalker
- Solutions for a bored cat
As with people, cats can get bored too and discouraged. When a cat gets upset, it is for some reason and is usually related to lack of enrichment, socialization and play.
If you believe your cat is bored, it will be essential to check his behavior at home and the signs that may indicate discomfort, disinterest or lack of motivation for his daily routine. It is important to note that it tends to happen much more among cats that live alone at home than when they live with other cats.
To be able to correctly understand if your cat is upset, in this article by PeritoAnimal we will show you the 5 Signs Your Cat Is Bored. Find out why and act immediately following our advice.
1. Over-cleaning
when a cat licks compulsively the fur, and even causes hairless spots, is a sure sign that the poor cat is bored to death. When licking is so excessive, it can result in a dermal lesion called a granuloma, a serious health problem that must be treated as soon as possible.
In addition to the damage to your fur, this behavior is very stressful for the cat. This can affect you mentally and lead to depression. It is also a dangerous activity as it causes the dangerous and uncomfortable hairballs in the stomach.
Another possible behavior is for the cat to compulsively lick your hair when you are around (for example when they are together in bed or on the couch).
2. Excessive food intake
One consequence of feline annoyance is the excessive food intake. A very "human" attitude, as many people due to anxiety, depression or stress have this same harmful behavior, compulsive eating. Boredom in the cat causes a lot of stress. A pleasant but harmful way of minimize boredom, and eat.
Check carefully the amounts of food you offer your cat to prevent obesity in your feline. Don't forget it's harmful to your health!
3. Sleeping excessively
Cats usually sleep a lot. It is calculated that sleep between 16 and 17 hours a day. A cat that does not have any activity that stimulates it can sleep a lot more.
This, at first, might be considered harmless, but it is not. Sleeping cats can fail to clean themselves and quickly deteriorate in appearance. They can also become dehydrated or suffer from loss of appetite.
4. Cat destroyer
Sometimes there are cats that to escape the great boredom they suffer, become destroyers. They climb through the curtains, destroying them in doing so, for example.
They can also be dedicated to knocking objects off shelves or attacking small pets such as canaries, parakeets or hamsters by surprise.
We must not confuse the usual destruction that cats do in the corners of sofas and chains with the multiple vandal acts fueled by boredom.
5. Cat stalker
Sometimes there are cats that live with another cat or another pet, but nevertheless they get bored. If the dominant cat is very dynamic and the other is excessively calm, it may happen that to entertain herself, perform a kind of bullying or abuse against the other cat, martyring him and making life difficult for him.
It's not at all frequent, but it can also bother a small-sized dog. Cats tend to resort to their ancestral hunting instincts and mess with the smallest beings in the house.
Solutions for a bored cat
For starters, it's critical rule out the fact that your partner suffers from depression, a common problem in animals that have undergone a drastic change in life, a major loss or a shock. If you believe you may be experiencing depression, you should consult your veterinarian, and in the meantime, we advise you to:
- play with your cat daily. The best toy for cats is undoubtedly the fishing rod because you also participate in play, something essential for your cat to have fun too. The truth is that toys and scratchers can distract your cat a lot, but in the long run they will eventually get bored if there is no real interaction.
- Enrich your day-to-day with stimuli you haven't known before: music, activities, food, other people... Enrichment will help you to get out of your boredom routine. The contact with the sun will also give you extra energy, a better synthesis of vitamins and happiness.
- Give her massages, caresses and lots of kisses, cats love to feel loved and cherished, this will make them feel that they are part of a united family group, strong and full of affection.
- Use catnip to encourage psychological stimulation.
- play with your cat daily. The best toy for cats you can buy is a fishing rod, since you also participate in the game, something essential for your cat to have fun too. The truth is, toys can distract your cat a lot, but in the long run they get bored if there's no real interaction.
Finally, and if your cat spends many hours alone, we recommend that you resort to a refuge and adopt a companion that will help your cat spend the hours in company and fun. Both will thank you.
