Anxiety disorders in cats cause significant suffering. Understanding when medication is appropriate and how to combine it with behavioral modification is key to feline welfare.
Anxiety in cats is often underdiagnosed and undertreated because cats hide signs of distress and owners may interpret anxious behaviors as personality traits. Chronic anxiety represents genuine suffering — not just inconvenience — and has measurable physiological consequences. Medication should not be seen as a last resort but as a tool to reduce suffering while behavioral modification is implemented. The goal is to help cats reach a baseline where they can engage with their environment positively. Some cats may require lifelong medication, which is ethically acceptable when it improves quality of life. Stigma around medicating cats for behavioral conditions should not prevent access to effective treatment.