cats

[my cat]

do cats get depressed ?

[Athley]

I don't think so. I wouldn't it I was one.

Imagine you sleep nearly 18 hours a day, get up for a bit, eat, sleep some more, go outside and run around like a loony for 10 minutes, sleep again, eat again, go for a walk around the neighbourhood looking as cool as you can, come home and have a nap on the best chair/bed in the house, get pampered brushed and fluffed, sleep more keeping one eye on the TV, quick snack before another nap.


What a fab life!

[Noweia]

I know animals can die of a broken heart so I imagine they can get depressed. However, because 'depression' is a mental state it can be hard to prove!

[wolf63]

I asked my vet this - she said that they suffer from 'reactive depression' . This is usually caused by an event such as the death of a loved one, as Noweia says.

But my vet did not think that they suffered from normal depression. They do get stressed about territorial issued though.

As Athley says - they have a nice little life.

[lizzydrippin]

Yes, the cats that have good loving and responsible homes have a very charmed life indeed. But lets not forget all the thousands of abandoned cats who've been neglected and even abused who have no comfy chair to snooze in and probably spend most of their days searching for food and most of their nights looking for somewhere dry (and if theyre very lucky,warm) to sleep. Sounds pretty depressing to me.

[allotment10]

very true lizzy, i often help out at a cats rescue centre and a lot of the cats there are really down and have no interest in life (just like people when they're depressed), also have a lot of semi wild cats on the allotment that obviously live a sad life, especially in winter :-(
so yes, my cat, i think they get depressed just like all of us.

[Athley]

I got my cat from a rescue centre Cat Protection League. She had been abandoned in a dustbin (her names Binnie).

She is now the happiest cat and I also look after a few strays in my garden too giving them food and cuddles when they come for them.

I think people working in the Centres are fab and I do realise some animals are not as fortunate as others as with people too. :-)

[kelebek]

Sorry this is a late reply.

I have worked out of the country for a while. I recently returned to England and I visited my Mum who has my rescue Tom cat and a Cavalier King Charles of her own.

I was pretty peed off to see that the pooch was spoiled rotten but my cat seemed a little 'down'. No matter what age a cat is they need mental stimulation to keep them occupied. A cat nip mouse, a shiny jingly ball, a piece of string..anything that moves!

My cat had nothing like this and he just ate and slept. So, for the last three weeks every evening ive had him on my knee, pampered him and played with him until he's worn out.

The end result is he greets me when I come home from work and I get cuddles now. Most people think a cat will go out, come home sleep, eat etc etc but its not the case.

So, pamper the puss aswel as the pooch..cats are very loving pets.

[SSquirrel]

Where I live cats get depressed a lot. But there is a lot of traffic and some very busy roads