Chronic stress in cats manifests subtly, with most signs easily missed by owners — understanding feline stress indicators is essential for welfare monitoring.
Chronic stress in cats is pervasive and poorly recognised because cats express it subtly. A cat hiding more than usual, losing clumps of fur from overgrooming, or repeatedly presenting with urinary problems is a cat experiencing welfare compromise that may have been developing for months. The owners of these cats frequently attribute the changes to personality, ageing or bad luck rather than identifiable environmental stressors. Validated environmental assessment tools like FENA allow systematic identification of stressors — multi-cat tension, resource restriction, environmental poverty — and targeted modification. Addressing cat stress is both a welfare imperative and often the solution to expensive and recurrent veterinary problems.