Many cat owners have wondered if their kitten has fallen into a state of depression based upon the change in mood of the cat. Well it is true that your cat can fall into depression just like many other animals. But what you do to take your cat out of its feline stress is not much different as how you would help a human who has fallen into depression. Lets take a deeper look at depression in cats and see what you as the cat owner can do to help your feline pal.
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Depression in cat will come with some or all of the following symptoms:

1. Quietness
Your kitty will normally be quite vocal around you, meowing and curdling around your feet to try and pull your attention when it needs you to do something for it. If you notice your cat stop meowing around you and simply lays and stares at you it could be depressed.

2. Loss of Appetite
If you also notice your cat having a lack of appetite, it could be a sign of kitty depression. Give your cat its favorite can of cat food and watch it periodically. If the animal refuses to eat, change the food and watch it again, If your cat still refuses to eat, it may be depression or some other underlining issue.

3. Excessive Vocalizing
Yes, some depressed cats will become less vocalized while some will simply call out for help a lot. Not all cat's meow means they want to be snuggled and cuddled. The cat may just be simply telling you that something is wrong and it needs attention.

4. Prefers Loneliness
Depressed cats will sometime prefer to curdle up in their cat beds and just do their little periodic meow rather than curdle up in your lap or the laptop keypad. 

5. Scratches Everything Including Itself
Cats act out differently when depressed. It is a mind thing and the mind tell the cat how it should react. A depressed kitty may just start scratching at everything in the home including the scratch post right in front of its eyes. 

6. Bad Hygiene Practice
Cats are very clean creatures and groom them self quite often by licking and scratching. They keep themselves well kept as they just love admiring themselves in the mirror. If you see your cat not grooming itself periodically it could be a sign of cat depression.
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Cats are just as mysterious as the underworld. They will get depressed for reasons which could just be simply unknown no matter how we diagnose. But pain especially long lasting annoying pain can make your cat depressed. Your pet vet should be able to give the animal a through test to rule out pain with a physical examination. So what are some other reasons why cats get depressed. take a look below:

1. Injury/Surgery
If your cat has been injured and have to live with some kind of injury, surgery or dysfunction of some body part, it may fall into depression as it realizes that it is no longer capable of either doing what it used to do, or is unable to do it easily or gracefully. If your cat has recently undergone surgery or is recovering, ensure that the animal does not over exert itself by trying to jump and climb to tall in house cat trees. As hard as it may be, the feline will need the desired rest to heal any injury properly to get it back to its old 'moewy' self again.

2. Sickness
Even I get depressed sometimes when I get ill. Your cat will also feel depressed if it falls into any illness which last more than a couple of days. Depends on what the ailment is, the cat will have different unwanted feelings which will not make it feel like itself. Sickness can put the cat in pain, especially joint pains. It may have loss of appetite and begin to lack mobility.

3. Cat Getting Old
Nothing is more depressing that knowing that you are growing old and are gradually loosing some natural functions that you once enjoyed. Not all people or animal have a high tolerance for old age and your cat may have fallen into that bracket. The cat may have that feeling of getting old and simply gets depressed over it.

4. Lacks Attention
If your cat is an indoor cat and is left all alone during the days, it will want some cat and owner bonding when you arrive home. Some cats will follow their owner up and down the home until the cat is lifted up and petted. If you have a cat that craves your attention and you refuse to give it, this can cause your cat to get stressed out.

5. Jealous of Another Pet
Your cat can become jealous and falls into depression if you suddenly introduce another cat to the family or even a dog for that matter. The thing is that many times when we introduce new pets to our pets we tend to show the new pet a little more attention. We all know that the reason for this is to get the new pet feel comfortable and at home, but remember that your other pet will see this differently in their eyes and simply believe that your prefer your new pal. This is a recipe for stress and depression.

6. Death
Cats can smell death. It is believed that cats know when their owner, themselves or a other feline companion will cross the other side. Once the cat senses this, it will get depressed knowing that either way, love will be lost soon.
 

Indoor cats are like the married men of today. They natural live longer but suffer in excitement and adventure.  Any animal locked away from being what it naturally is suppose to be will live longer in a controlled setting. But may suffer from deep anxiety and depression later in life. But lets take a comparison table and look at the happiness factor of indoor vs outdoor cat.

As you can see, indoor cats may live in fancy home and apartments. But they can never be as happy as an outdoor cat which has the world at its fingertips, or word at its paws.

​Nothing is more devastating than having you cat stolen, ran off or simply gotten loss. There are many people who will steal your cat especially if the cat is a pricey breed. Then there is the curious nature of the animal which would see her chasing preys and eventually get lost in the city or if you live in the country area bushes. But you can avoid all these by simply always being able to find and locate your cat by improving your home security, making your home and garden cat proof (meaning your cat cannot easily just jump a climb a tree and head over the fence to go outside. You can also have a cat GPS collar which would allow you to always know the exact location of your feline friend. But before you go out and get a cat GPS tracker, here are some tips in details for you to make your home cat proof so your cat doesn’t easily go astray or easily stolen.

1. Install CCTV and motion sensor lighting.
By installing a Closed Circuit Television, along with motion triggered lighting around your home. You can detect your cats outside movements as well as unwanted guest who may have entered your home. The CCTV camera acts also like a psychological deterrent for persons who want to enter your home but knows that they will be recorded.

2. Keep Your Cat Indoors at nights.
Having your cat outdoor at nights is a pretty bad idea.  There are many animals which are nocturnal and some of them can either be prey or predator to your cat. You don’t want your cat chasing prey and end up getting lost or worst a predator snatches your cat and becomes its meal that night.
 
3. Have Your Cat Neutered.
Why? Mating season for all animals including cats brings to the forefront a lot of hormone floating in the air. Cats will seek out each other even if it means scaling a fence or escaping through the fire place to find another cat to mate with. This may lead to your cat being lost or simply decides to stay with a pack of stray cats which seems to be having a wild party with rubbish cans and a platform or mating.  Once your cat is neutered, you don’t have to worry about cat mating as the urge will no longer be there.

4. Don’t leave your cat alone for too long.
Don’t go on long business trips that last for days or leave your cat alone for the holidays while you are somewhere in Mexico sing Christmas carols in Spanish. Have someone cat sit your cat or leave the animal with a responsible family or friend. If it is feasible, take your cat with you when you will be away for a couple of days. If you leave your cat alone, chances are it will begin to wonder where you are and try to find a way out of the yard or home and eventually will get lost or stolen.
 
5. Cat proof your garden
Ensure that there are no holes that your cat can escape through. Fences should not be easily climbed by your cat.
 
6. Get a GPS Collar for Your Cat.
This is probably the best investment you can make to keep your cat from getting lost or easily stolen. Get a GPS tracking collar for your cat. What this does is simply have a tracker installed in the collar of your cat while you can monitor the animal’s location on your phone using the GPS app. So if your cat is stolen and on the move, you can pinpoint where the animal is being taking by simply looking at your cat GPS tracker on your Phone.  You can also have the peace of mind while you are at work by knowing where in the house you cat is and if it is safe.  Many people have had microchips place inside their cats to find the cats location. But for those cat owners like myself, we prefer to not have something invade the cat’s body and a cat gps collar works just as fine. 

The Cat GPS Tracker Collar  from the best GPS cat and dog tracker TRACKTIVE, allows you to locate your dog and cat anytime, anywhere. Use the GPS collar attachment to see the exact location of your pet directly on your smartphone or in any browser. 

​Regardless of when or where, always stay connected to your cat. With Tractive GPS LIVE Tracking, you can see the exact trace of your four-legged friend. Thanks to the integrated virtual fence (geofence), Tractive will inform you immediately in the case that your cat or dog leaves a pre-defined safe area. Simply attach the GPS pet tracker to the collar and have peace of mind.

See also other cat GPS tracker.