Emotional Special Needs

Though little information exists regarding emotional problems and cats, it seems clear that like humans, cats too can experience a variety of mental health symptoms. With our cats, the most prominent symptom is anxiety presenting in the form of fear.

Emotional Trauma: Cats and Humans

When a person is faced with a life threatening situation, the body physiologically responds preparing for “fight or flight” as it is commonly referred to. In some severe cases, when the threat is so great or occurring regularly, the body can remain in a perpetual “fight or flight” response resulting in a set of anxiety related symptoms known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD.

A number of cats that have come to HSAR have trauma histories such as; abuse, mal-nourishment, illness, fights with other animals, surviving environmental and human threats, and living in the streets to name a few. These cats can present in a number of ways including quiet, timid, aggressive, skittish, suspicious, and in general very afraid. As with humans, it would appear as though these cats are experiencing an understandable anxiety resulting from their traumatic experience.

Dealing with a traumatized cat can be a daunting task given the unpredictability of their responses to human contact. People wishing to help these loving animals need a great deal of patience and caring as well as time to invest in providing their cat with time to heal emotionally. It is a good idea to start slow with a traumatized cat as they have learned to be mistrustful of people.

Tips for Caring for an Emotional Special Needs Cat

• When bringing the cat home, isolate the cat in a safe room to help reduce the impact of an overwhelming environment.
• Remove as many hiding places in the cat’s space in an effort to encourage interactions with humans. Establish a consistent routine for the cat as their life before was based on chaos. The cat will start settling into the routine by anticipating feeding and treats.
• Slowly and gently begin to include physical contact using the cat’s response as a guide to what can be tolerated at the time. Start by approaching the cat from the front allowing the cat to see and smell your hand. Gently scratch the top of the cat’s head and, over time based on the cat’s response, begin moving down the cat’s body.

This process can take a great deal of time and effort but is truly worth it for anyone who would like the opportunity to help these very special cats. At the moment, there are a number of cats with a variety of histories in need of just this kind of person. Please stop by and ask about our emotional special needs cats as they are waiting for someone like you.

Learn About Gypsy

Other Special Needs Cats at HSAR

Share: Do you have a story about a special needs cat in your life? We'd love to share your tale. You can email us here.