Step 0: Support a balanced stress response

When a cat feels stressed or unsafe, their nervous system is focused on coping rather than adapting. In this state, even positive changes in the environment can be harder to absorb.

Supplements may help support a normal stress response, making it easier for cats to respond to changes in their environment and daily routine.

How supplements may be used

• Daily support: a consistent daily amount to support emotional balance
• Situational support: a higher amount during predictable stressors (moving, visitors, renovations, new pets)

BSAVA principle:

Emotional regulation & readiness for learning

Supporting a lower baseline stress level can make it easier for cats to adapt to changes and benefit from environmental and routine adjustments.

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Step 1: Increase Your Cat’s Sense of Safety

A cat that does not feel safe cannot fully relax. Feeling secure is the foundation for all other progress.

Cats need to know they can retreat, observe, and rest without being approached, followed, or interrupted. When this need is met, stress levels often decrease naturally.

Helpful habits

• Provide multiple hiding options (covered beds, boxes, quiet corners)
• Make sure your cat can retreat without being followed or blocked
• Allow your cat to rest undisturbed in their chosen spaces
• Avoid forcing interaction, handling, or exposure
  

Hiding is a normal coping strategy for cats and should not be discouraged. A cat that chooses to hide is managing their stress in the safest way they know.

BSAVA PRINCIPLE

Safety first & environmental management

Preventing forced exposure and allowing retreat helps keep the cat below stress threshold, reducing the risk of escalating fear responses and supporting emotional regulation.

Step 2: Add Vertical Space and Escape Routes

Cats feel safer when they can observe their environment from a distance and move through their space without feeling trapped.

Vertical space and clear escape routes allow cats to control how close they are to people, other pets, and activity. This sense of control helps prevent stress from escalating.

Helpful habits

• Provide vertical options such as cat trees, shelves, or stable furniture tops
• Ensure your cat has more than one way in and out of key rooms
• Keep pathways clear so your cat is not cornered or blocked
• Avoid placing beds, litter boxes, or feeding areas in dead-end spaces
  

Height and movement options allow cats to choose distance rather than resorting to hiding or freezing.

Supporting choice and movement helps maintain a sense of safety as your cat navigates the home.

BSAVA principle:

Control, choice & environmental management

Providing escape routes and vertical space reduces perceived threat by increasing the cat’s ability to control distance and movement, helping keep emotional arousal below stress thresholds.

Step 3: Make Resources Easy and Conflict-Free

Accessing essential resources should never feel stressful for a cat. If food, water, litter boxes, or resting areas are difficult to reach or feel unsafe, stress can persist even in an otherwise calm home.

Cats need to be able to meet their daily needs without navigating noise, pressure, or confrontation.

Ensure easy access to

• Food and water
• Litter box(es)
• Resting and sleeping areas
  

Helpful habits

• Place resources away from noisy or high-traffic areas
• Avoid layouts that force your cat to pass people, other pets, or stressors to reach essentials
• In multi-cat households, provide multiple resource locations to prevent blocking or guarding
  

When resources are predictable and conflict-free, cats can relax and focus on resting, exploring, and engaging with their environment.

BSAVA principle:

Environmental management & resource distribution

Reducing competition and access-related stress lowers baseline arousal and supports emotional stability.

Step 4: Encourage Calm, Voluntary Interaction

Interaction should always be the cat’s choice. Calm, voluntary contact builds trust and confidence, while forced interaction increases stress and avoidance.

Exercise: Invitation-Based Interaction

Goal
Allow your cat to engage on their own terms, without pressure or expectation.

How to do it

1. Sit or stand calmly in the same space as your cat
2. Avoid staring, reaching, or calling your cat over
3. Use slow movements and a relaxed posture
4. If your cat approaches, allow brief, gentle interaction
5. End the interaction before your cat pulls away
   

Key points

• Let your cat decide if, when, and how long interaction happens
• Short, positive interactions are better than long ones
• Food or play can be used as invitations, not lures or pressure
  

Avoid

• Picking up or restraining your cat
• Following your cat when they move away
• Continuing interaction once signs of tension appear
  

Voluntary interaction builds confidence and trust over time.

BSAVA principle:

Choice, consent & low-pressure interaction

Allowing animals to control social contact reduces stress and supports positive emotional associations with people.

Step 5: Support Calm Recovery After Stress

Cats often need time and space to settle after stressful or stimulating events. Without sufficient recovery, stress can accumulate and affect overall well-being.

Supporting recovery allows the nervous system to return to baseline before the next challenge.

What helps

• Returning the home to its usual setup as soon as possible
• Maintaining access to hiding spaces and vertical areas
• Keeping noise, interaction, and activity low during recovery periods
• Resuming normal routines gradually, without added stimulation
  

Avoid forcing interaction or reassurance. Allow your cat to choose where and how long they rest.

Quiet recovery time is a necessary part of emotional regulation, not avoidance.

BSAVA principle:

Recovery & stress regulation

Allowing adequate recovery time helps emotional arousal decrease and supports long-term emotional balance.

Step 6: When to Seek Additional Help

While many cats improve with environmental support, routine adjustments, and time, some situations require extra guidance.

Please consult your veterinarian if:

• Signs of stress worsen or do not improve
• Your cat stops eating, grooming, or interacting normally
• Fear or avoidance interferes with daily life
• Changes appear suddenly, intensely, or without an obvious cause
• You are unsure whether stress may be linked to pain or illness
  

Ongoing stress can have medical or behavioral components that benefit from professional support.

BSAVA principle:

Medical rule-out & appropriate referral

Behavioral changes should always be assessed in context, with medical causes ruled allowing targeted behavioral or environmental support.