
Article by Maura McAndrew | Found on Pet MD
Cats are something of an enigma—intelligent, sometimes inscrutable animals whose sensitivity and perceptiveness make them fascinating and lovable pets. But as most cat owners can tell you, cats are also creatures of habit and comfort. They can become stressed or scared by a range of things, from a trip to the vet to a new person in the house.
To tell if your cat is experiencing stress, closely observe his body language, advises Dilara Goksel Parry, a certified cat behavior consultant with the San Francisco-based company Feline Minds. “As prey animals, cats are masters of disguise,” she says. “People need to be able to take in all the information the cat is giving them with their expressions and body language—the tension in the body, the size of the pupils, the movement and direction of the ears, vocalizations, and so on.” Read more