Did your cat suffer from mental illness?

Can cat suffer from mental illness?

So you think you cat might suffer from mental illness. The good news is, scientists are not yet sure if cat can actually suffer from mental illness since as far as they know, cats brain is not complex enough to able them to have mental related illness.

The bad news however, cats CAN suffer from depression and stress. And here's 3 signs that your cat is depress.

Being aggressive randomly.
It is normal for cats to show aggressive behavior when they're playing or “defending” what they think is their Territory. But when a cat is acting aggressive randomly, that's probably a sign of illness and disease or may be depression.

Cats that show this kind of behavior need to be given medical attention.

Not interested in food
Give any cats on the street some treat and that cat might going to follow you to your house for more. But a depress cat will show very little interest in food. Some of them might even avoid eating for days. Lack of appetite is one of the sign of cat depression.

Less activities, more sleep
Cats are normally an active creature. They play, they hunt and sometime even scratch. If your cat is sleep to much and seem to be a lot less active than it use too, your cat probably depressed.

Urinating all over the house
If your cat suddenly start urinating around the house and avoid using the litter box, this too maybe a sign of stress. If this happen, it could be caused by a little change that happen in your life or your cat life such as an appearance of a new person or pet in your house.

Treatment
A depressed cat need medical attention, the best thing to do is to pay attention to your pet and give him a lot of attention. Also, make sure your pet get enough exercise and balance diet. There are also other kind of treatment such as Prozac, Zoloft or holistic treatment.

Other references:

• Can Animals Be Mentally Ill?
• Pets with Mental Illness: Could Your Pet Be a Psychopath?