While keeping a cat in your house is fantastic, it’s also a significant responsibility, making you nervous and confused.
Most people experience this feeling, also called new cat owner anxiety, when they keep a pet for the first time.
Do you suffer from this worry? Don’t be too stressed! This article will recommend helpful ways to deal with it. Let’s get started!
What Is New Cat Owner Anxiety?
Knowing the new cat owner’s anxiety may be challenging if you’ve never raised a pet. Nevertheless, if you have children, the emotion is comparable to what new parents will experience when a baby enters the world.
It’s when first-time parents know they must be responsible for their newborn. Some even feel overwhelmed by this experience.
Bringing a new pet into your house should be a great time of joy and anticipation. However, some owners may be anxious, guilty, doubted, or fearful.
This anxiety often appears immediately after a new cat comes to the owner’s house. They feel overwhelmed by all the responsibilities that come with pet ownership.
It’s understandable. Having a new member is a significant change. You must adjust your routine, realize responsibilities, and consider your situation.
This anxiety worsens if your new pet shows signs of stress, like destructiveness or elimination. Your fur baby will experience this feeling when he moves to a new house.
These unwanted behaviors may make first-time owners more stressed and anxious, which causes a spiral of stress.
Is this experience normal? The answer is yes. It’s a common phenomenon. Most people have this feeling when keeping a pet for the first time.
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How To Deal With It?
Are you anxious about your new pet? The good news is that this feeling will pass over time.
However, if you need tips to overcome this challenging time, consider the following recommendations!
Provide The Basics
Are you worried about pet ownership and responsibility? Creating a checklist of what your four-legged friend needs is a good idea.
Below are basic things for your four-legged friend:
- Food
- Water bowls
- Litter tray
- Comfy bed & blanket
- Toys & Enrichment
- Scratching post
These items are the basic requirements. You can provide several other things gradually for your fur baby.
If you prepare these things in advance, you will feel more comfortable as you know that your pet will be safe, warm, watered, and fed.
Create A Bond
Cats are often very sociable animals. Thus, it’s best to spend time playing with them. It’s an excellent way to help you feel less anxious and build stronger bonds with your pets.
Active activities like playing, brushing, or giving cat food are fantastic methods to develop a close relationship with them. For first-time cat owners, looking for identifiers or labels for their pet cats might be helpful. These cat tags can also bond, as you can select designs or inscriptions that reflect your pet’s personality.
Besides, you can try passive interactions, like staying in the same room with your fur baby.
This quiet bonding session may be more suitable if your new pet shows stress symptoms, like excessive grooming or hiding behaviors.
Establish A Routine
Having a pet, particularly a first kitty may significantly alter your daily schedules, routines, and environments.
Therefore, you may only focus on tasks like cleaning the cat litter box and adding food to the bowl.
Establishing a solid routine will help the pets, and the owners adapt to the changes in their new environment.
A routine calms nervous kitties and makes owners more comfortable in a new position.
Related Post: What Should Cats Eat Daily?
Be Patient
Wait a few months until you and your new pet establish a weekly pattern before assuming that you don’t care enough or that your kitten has a problem.
It would be best if you took your time to discover the new cat’s habits and reactions to various situations. Please be patient.
Spend Time With Your Pet
Spending most of your time with your new pet may seem reasonable if you’re worried about them.
However, this way has a specific drawback. Your pet may suffer separation anxiety when you leave it alone.
Sharing the duties with other family members might help you ease into your new position as a new pet owner and provide an alternative when your stress levels are high.
Look On The Bright Side
Several studies have shown that owning a pet may significantly improve our life.
Your devoted pets can provide companionship, encouragement, and a regular schedule.
These advantages become apparent after the initial phase of stress and adjustment.
Enjoy Outdoor Fun
Having an outdoor adventure together is a good idea if you don’t want to let your fur baby roam outside.
Provide a secure outdoor area for your four-legged friend to play, such as a cat tent or patio staked into the ground.
You can watch this video to know some games to play with your pets:
Visit Your Vet
Find a reputable vet for your pet, make an appointment for a checkup, and confirm that all of his vaccinations are up-to-date.
How To Help With Your Cat’s Anxiety?
You have several solutions for helping your four-legged friend if it is experiencing trouble adjusting to its new place.
When your kitty first comes to your house, let it stay in a comfortable and quiet place until familiar with the environment.
Your cat will feel safer when staying in areas with many hiding places. You can provide it with accessible shelves or perches because these pets love being up high.
Besides, give your kitten something to play with, like puzzle feeders, cat toys, or cat trees.
If you notice stress signs in your new pets, it’s advisable to contact your vet for advice and timely treatment.
Related Post: Why Do Vets Not Like Grain-Free Cat Food?
In A Nutshell
New cat owner anxiety is a familiar feeling most first-time owners experience when adopting a pet.
This nervousness will disappear over time. The initial stage can be challenging, but we believe you can easily overcome it with our tips. Everything will be fine!
If you know other ways to reduce this stress, share them in the comment section. Thanks for reading!
