Anxiety & Stress in Dogs and Cats: Signs Pet Owners Shouldn’t Ignore

Our pets can’t tell us when they’re feeling worried, overwhelmed, or stressed. Instead, they communicate through changes in their behavior—and sometimes those signals are surprisingly subtle.

A dog that suddenly follows you from room to room, a cat that begins hiding more often, or a pet that becomes restless when the household routine changes may be communicating that something isn’t quite right.

Understanding the signs of stress and anxiety can help you recognize when your pet needs additional support and determine when it’s time to involve your veterinarian.

What Causes Stress and Anxiety in Pets?

Just like people, pets can experience stress for many different reasons. Some triggers are obvious, such as thunderstorms or fireworks, while others can be easy to overlook.

Common triggers include:

• Thunderstorms, fireworks, and other loud noises
• Being left alone
• Changes in daily routine
• Moving to a new home
• Travel
• Veterinary or grooming visits
• Boarding
• New people or animals in the household
• Construction or unfamiliar noises
• Changes in family dynamics
• Lack of predictable routines or appropriate enrichment

Dogs and cats can also respond very differently to the same situation. What barely bothers one pet may be extremely stressful for another.

Signs of Anxiety and Stress in Dogs

Some dogs make their discomfort obvious. Others display much more subtle changes in behavior.

Signs may include excessive panting when your dog isn’t hot, pacing, trembling, whining, barking, hiding, attempting to escape, destructive behavior, excessive licking, changes in appetite, or difficulty settling down.

You might also notice your dog becoming unusually clingy or following you constantly.

Body language can provide important clues as well. A tucked tail, flattened ears, lip licking, yawning when not tired, avoiding eye contact, or repeatedly turning away from a situation can sometimes indicate that a dog is uncomfortable.

One isolated behavior doesn’t necessarily mean your dog has anxiety. Changes from your pet’s normal behavior and patterns surrounding certain situations are often more informative.

Signs of Stress in Cats Can Be Easy to Miss

Cats are particularly good at hiding discomfort, which means their signs of stress may be less obvious.

A stressed cat may begin hiding more frequently, avoiding family members, becoming unusually vocal, eating less, overgrooming, scratching more often, or becoming more irritable.

Changes in litter-box habits can also occur.

However, behavioral changes—especially changes in appetite, urination, defecation, grooming, or activity—can also indicate an underlying medical problem. They should not automatically be attributed to stress.

If your cat suddenly begins behaving differently, a veterinary evaluation is an important first step.

Stress Isn’t Always a Behavioral Problem

This is one of the most important things for pet owners to understand.

Behavioral changes can sometimes be caused or worsened by pain or illness.

For example, a dog that suddenly becomes reluctant to be touched may be experiencing discomfort rather than simply becoming anxious. A cat that urinates outside the litter box could have a urinary problem rather than a behavioral issue.

If your pet develops a new or significant behavioral change, talk with your veterinarian—particularly if the change is sudden or accompanied by physical symptoms.

Creating a Calmer Environment

While every pet is different, creating predictability can help many animals feel more secure.

Maintaining relatively consistent feeding, exercise, play, and bedtime routines can be a good starting point.

Pets should also have access to a comfortable place where they can retreat when they want quiet time. For cats, this might include elevated spaces, hiding areas, scratching surfaces, and locations where they can get away from other pets. Dogs may prefer a familiar bed, crate, or quiet room.

Regular physical activity and mental enrichment are important too. Walks, play sessions, food puzzles, training exercises, sniffing activities, and other species-appropriate enrichment can provide healthy outlets for energy and engagement.

The goal isn’t to eliminate every stressful experience. It’s to help your pet feel safe and give them appropriate ways to cope.

What About Calming Supplements?

Some pets may benefit from calming or behavioral-support products as part of a broader plan.

Depending on the product, these may contain probiotics, amino acids, milk-derived proteins, pheromones, or other ingredients intended to support calm behavior.

However, these products aren’t interchangeable, and they aren’t necessarily appropriate for every pet.

It’s also important to understand the difference between daily behavioral support and immediate situational support. Some products are designed to be given consistently over time and should not be expected to work like an immediate sedative during a thunderstorm or other stressful event.

Your veterinarian can help determine whether your pet’s behavior requires medical evaluation or treatment, while your pharmacist can help you understand how a prescribed medication or recommended product should be given, stored, and incorporated into your pet’s routine.

When Medication May Be Appropriate

For some pets, environmental changes and behavioral strategies alone aren’t enough.

Veterinarians may recommend prescription medication for certain anxiety-related conditions or situations. Depending on the individual pet, medication might be used for a specific event or as part of a longer-term treatment plan.

Medication should never be given to a pet without veterinary guidance. Do not give your pet human anxiety or sleep medications unless your veterinarian specifically instructs you to do so.

If medication is prescribed, follow the dosing instructions carefully and contact your veterinarian or pharmacist if you have questions about administration, storage, missed doses, or potential medication interactions.

When Should You Contact Your Veterinarian?

Contact your veterinarian if your pet’s anxiety or behavioral changes are new, severe, worsening, affecting their quality of life, or creating a risk of injury.

You should also seek veterinary care when behavioral changes occur alongside symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, appetite changes, difficulty urinating, increased thirst, pain, weakness, breathing changes, or other signs of illness.

A veterinarian can help rule out medical causes and develop an appropriate plan based on your pet’s individual needs.

Helping Your Pet Feel More Secure

Stress and anxiety don’t look exactly the same in every pet. The key is knowing what’s normal for your dog or cat.

Pay attention to changes in behavior, identify patterns and possible triggers, and give your pet a predictable environment with opportunities for exercise, enrichment, rest, and retreat.

And remember: supporting behavioral health isn’t about expecting your pet to never feel afraid or stressed. It’s about recognizing when they’re struggling and giving them the support they need.

Have Questions About Your Pet’s Medications or Supplements?

The pharmacy team at Pet’s First Choice can help answer questions about pet medications, administration, storage, and behavioral-support products.

Ask Our Pharmacist
📞 803-834-3183
✉️ info@petsfirstchoicerx.com

Pet Health Academy content is provided for educational purposes and is not a substitute for veterinary diagnosis or treatment. Contact your veterinarian if you have concerns about changes in your pet’s health or behavior.