My cat is always nervous and skittish. What helps cat anxiety?

You can speak to another vet about anti-anxiety medications for Prim, but I can recommend a few things you can do at home for her. First, I suggest trying Feliway. It's a plug in diffuser that spreads pheromones around the room, which helps with anxious cats. You can also use a Sentry calming collar on her, which will also release pheromones when in contact with her skin. Certainly get a second opinion about medications for her as well.

Poor Hedj! I would talk to your vet about starting him on some anti-anxiety medications. That may help with the vocalization in the specific area of your home, and allow you to prevent him from accessing that area of the home without him freaking out. You can also use Feliway, which is a pheromone diffuser that helps cats with anxiety. You can use Sentry calming collar in conjunction with the pheromone diffuser. If Hedj gets very stressed out going to the vet, you can see if your vet does house calls, or you can see if there is a mobile vet in your area.

Just like people, some cats are quite introverted and it can take a fair amount of effort to get them out of their shells. For many of these cats, their “shyness” is actually a sign of stress and anxiety, which is often fear-related. Try to find something your cat enjoys – a special treat, ear scratches, playing with the laser pointer – and encourage your cat to approach you. Do not force any interaction, as this often makes stress and anxiety worse. It may take a bit of patience and time. Calming pheromones, such as the Comfort Zone® Calming Diffuser, can help to minimize some cats’ stress, as can anti-anxiety medication prescribed by your veterinarian. If these strategies are not successful, it may be best to consult a [veterinary behaviorist](www.dacvb.org) for further advice.

Hi there. Yes, there are definitely medications that can help with chronic anxiety in cats, and she would likely also benefit from other changes in her environment to help make her more comfortable. Ideally, I would strongly recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate her in person and help you put together a detailed treatment plan for her, including medication if he/she feels that it would be helpful in Sunny's case. You can search for one in your area here: www.dacvb.org If this isn't possible, then you can certainly work with your regular veterinarian if he/she is comfortable treating behavioral issues in cats. You will indeed need to have her seen for an exam in order to start any prescription medication - so you'll need to bring her into the clinic, or you can see if there are any vets in your area who offer housecall services. You can ask your veterinarian about using a calming supplement such as Anxitane or Zylkene before the visit to help make her a bit more comfortable, if needed.

It sounds like the cat outside is causing your cat some anxiety. The best thing to do would be to keep your cat away from the window or try and get the outside cat to stay away from the window. You could try a Feliway Diffuser and see if that helps with the anxiety. You could also talk to your vet about prescribing an anti-anxiety medication for your cat.

This takes lots of time and patience to improve. You can try a Feliway pheromone spray or diffuser. That often relaxes cats and reduces their anxiety. If she enjoys grooming brush her for a short time each day. Usually then they will start coming out to get groomed and be with you. The loud noises are hard and there is not much to be done other than act calmly like you are doing. I never force a cat to come out or do do things that make them anxious as this will only worsen the problem. Make sure she has a quiet, private 'safe' place to go. With time she should improve, it's hard to get over bad kitten experiences. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Princess.

You can start with Feliway spray and diffusers as this can help with areas and anxiety. If that is no help they do offer prescription anxiety medications and natural calming treats. All are variable based on the patient so you may have to try 1-2 before you find what works best. It is best to talk to your vet to see which prescription is best