How to Know if a Pet is Stressed

Your cat is climbing the curtains; your dog continuously yawns. The bird that chirped so happily when you first brought her home now sits unmoving in its cage. Every animal reacts differently to stress. Before you can correct stress in a pet, you must recognize the signs. Read on to learn how to know if a pet is stressed.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Observe your cat's behavior. Restlessness, loud howling and urinating on the furniture are obvious signs of stress, but unusual passivity and neediness also signify a problem. Physical signs such as dilated pupils and excessive shedding indicate the cat may be reacting to stress.
2. Watch your bird as it eats. Repetitive pecking and dropping of food is a stress sign. Birds show moodiness and irritability, along with increased vocalization when they're upset. They pick at their feathers and refuse to socialize. Make a note of increased abnormal activity. A stressed bird may exhibit one, or a combination of signs.
3. Follow your dog. Watch for unusual panting, salivation, coughing, shaking, whining and lip licking. Dogs yawn when stressed. Other physical signs include shedding, diarrhea, trembling, dilated pupils, sneezing, scratching and chewing excessively. A dog may also growl and back away when stressed.
4. Hold your pet rabbit and look for enlarged eyes with whites showing. A rabbit tenses his body, raises his tail upwards and flinches when petted if stressed. This pet squeaks or growls when anxiety sets in, lays his ears back along his head, and breathes rapidly

Tips & Warnings

• Alleviate stress in your pet by determining the cause. Look for something different. Noises, new visitors, strange human behavior and temperature changes can cause stress in an animal.
• Make sure your pet gets enough exercise and attention.
• See a veterinarian if your pet's behavior doesn't improve after you remove the animal from a stressful environment.