The holidays have passed and while it is wonderful to travel or spend time with family and friends, we all know we can feel stressed during the holiday season. Our cats may also feel stressors but show them in different ways than us, mainly in their bladder.

A very common clinical sign of stress in cats is sterile cystitis. This means that our cats will develop inflammation of their bladders without infection present. Sterile cystitis is painful, will cause cats to frequent the box with very small urinations or dribbles, and can lead to urinary crystals or even blockage of the urinary tract which is a medical emergency.

There are simple ways to decrease stress and prevent cystitis in your sweet cat. They need to have easy access to a litter box where they feel safe and secure. The box should be scooped at least once a day and fully washed every couple of months. Your cat should be fed strictly canned food and be a proper weight since obesity causes a predisposition to urinary issues. We also can dispense anti-anxiety medication such as Gabapentin to keep your cat calm during obvious times of stress such as travel or having family visit. 

We may overlook our cat’s stress when life gets busy but this may cause unwanted vet visits for litter box avoidance or pain. So let’s start 2025 off right by giving your cat their own safe space, keeping their box clean, feeding canned food, offering enrichment to indoor cats such as a bird feeder outside a window, and using Gabapentin when appropriate.

Carrie Uehlein, DMV, is the medical director of Whole Pet Veterinary Hospitals and mentors young veterinarians, trains the medical staff, sets and monitors the standards of medicine and surgery for all locations. For more information, visit WholePetVets.com.

Whole Pet Veterinary Hospitals - 445 S Main St Ste 120, Davidson, NC

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