Chronic psychological stress in cats causes measurable immune dysfunction and disease susceptibility, making environmental stress management a genuine medical welfare priority.
The connection between psychological stress and physical disease in cats is well-established enough to constitute a medical welfare consideration, not merely a behavioural one. Cats living in chronically stressful environments — inadequate resources, multi-cat tension, unpredictable schedules — get sick more often from conditions that have clear stress-mediated components. Environmental modification that reduces stress is simultaneously a welfare improvement and a medical intervention. The psychoneuroimmunology of cats argues for treating stress management as seriously as dietary management in feline health care.