Disclaimer: the information provided below is not intended to replace or override the advice of your veterinarian. Both the author and the site owner assume that this information will be used to work with your vet in planning the best treatment plan for your cat

Fears, Anxiety and Panic

Sometimes, our animal friends will become very frightened. There are many causes that may bring this on. A dog could be chasing your cat, or a trip in the car could bring on panting and nervousness. Some cats are terrified when they hear loud noises like fireworks, thunder or gunshots.

An animal’s response can vary greatly to their fear. You must be very careful around scared animals, whatever the cause. They occasionally get so frightened they will scratch and bite, even at those they know well who are trying to help them. If your cat is very frightened, try to get him to a safe, dimly lit place where there is no noise and no other animals or people. If you know what the cause is, and can remove it from his sight or hearing, do so immediately. A few minutes of rest in a quiet place will help him begin to feel better.

Do not attempt to give by mouth any of the remedies listed below while your kitty is still extremely agitated. Flower essences can be rubbed into the ears if need be, and homeopathic remedies can be dissolved in a liquid your friend will drink and placed near her. If dissolved in water, you may also rub this on her ears if she is approachable.

The first thing to reach for when faced with any sort of fear or fright is the flower essence combination, Rescue Remedy. A few drops in the mouth or on the ears given every few minutes, usually works wonders in calming a frightened kitty. And if the trauma that has caused your cat to be fearful is upsetting you also, take a dose every time you give one to your cat. You’ll both feel better for it!

Other flower essences you may want to try include:

• penstemon – trauma, for inner strength
• mimulus – nervousness, jittery, shy, timid, fear of car rides
• poison oak – fear aggression
• aspen – vague fears, unconscious fears
• cherry plum – extreme stress, trapped feeling
• garlic – nervous fear
• red clover – hysteria, good for cats
• snapdragon – aggressive when fearful, biting
• impatiens – nervous behaviors
• filaree – anxiety with obsessive tendencies
• rock rose -  complete terror

There are also many homeopathic remedies that work very well to calm a fearful cat. But these remedies must be matched carefully to the symptoms you observe. The first to be used in cases of shock or extreme terror is Aconitum napellus (Acon). It is given for deep fear, panic and terror where the animal is agitated and moving about; breathing may be difficult. It is used for true shock where the animal is almost hysterical and restless. Natrum muriaticum (Nat mur) is a good choice for vomiting brought on by fear. A remedy for an animal this is scared and drools and pants is Cocculus indicus (Cocc). Phosphorus (Phos) is good for fear of noises, if they are also agitated, but refuse to be left alone and are clingy. Arsenicum album (Ars) animals also don't want to be left alone, but are very thirsty, and eventually will be tuckered out from the fear. If they are listless and quiet but still very frightened, trembling, maybe having bowel problems try Gelsemium sempervirens (Gels).

It will probably be very difficult to give the pills of these remedies to your cat directly when they are fearful, so dissolving the remedy in a bit of water is the best way to go. Then that water can be squirted into the animal’s mouth or just left in a dish for them to drink. Rubbing the water into their outer ear may also be helpful. Give the remedy every 15 minutes for a few doses until improvement is seen and then stop. If no improvement occurs after two doses, select a different remedy. Remedy strengths of below 30C are recommended.

A combination homeopathic remedy available in health food stores called Calms Forte is also very effective for many animals, particularly for insomnia due to minor anxiety.

Also for lower levels of anxiety, many herbs can be helpful. These can be made into an infusion and given in food or as a tea if the animal will drink it. Chamomile is very relaxing and peppermint will help with anxiety induced nausea.

Various forms of conditioning can be very helpful in training your animal friends not to be afraid. For instance, getting a kitty to not be terrified by thunder involves playing a thunder recording very quietly for a few minutes while playing or petting her. Give her a treat when she is calm. And don’t reward anxious behavior. Over a couple of weeks, the volume is increased very gradually until at a loud volume, the noise no longer upsets her. This sort of behavior modification can be used for all sorts of fears.

Car ride fears can be overcome by having the cat sit in the car in the driveway for a few minutes, leading up to short drives, over many weeks. A little bit at a time is key to this technique. If your cat feels any discomfort, go slower with the distance traveled. And make sure that they get to go to fun places in the car – not always the vet office!

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