If you’re a cat owner, you know all about “cattitude” and cat moods, and you should know that CBD for cats may help with different cat mood swings. There are many, and they can sometimes feel unpredictable or unmanageable at worst – but they are hilarious and sweet at best. These cat moods are a part of the reason many of us find our feline friends irresistible.
Some pet owners use CBD for cats to help their cats maintain general wellness and consistency in their moods. While CBD can’t be used to “fix” mood swings, it can support your cat in sustaining a calm, relaxed demeanor throughout the day – which can keep you from getting cat mood whiplash.
Different Types of Cat Moods
Not all cat moods are bad. In fact, many of your cat’s moods are the reason you love them – from the purry baby that sits on your chest at night to the playful after-dinner kitty who wants to chase the laser. But sometimes, we see dramatic mood swings from happy to grumpy in the blink of an eye, which can be troublesome for both you and your cat.
Here, we’ll talk about some of the hard-to-manage moods your cat might swing into, including:
- Crazy, unmanageable cat
- Hyperactive, stressed-out cat
- Cranky or grumpy cat
- Scared or nervous cat
Crazy, Bouncing-off-the-Wall Cat
Some people might call this the “parkour” cat, in reference to the training practice where athletes speed through complex environments by bouncing off walls and swinging off railings. When your cat feels crazy, its behavior can be absolutely shocking. They might even achieve some feats of physical fitness that you didn’t know were possible, such as reaching the curtain railing on an 8-foot-high window. CBD oil for cats can help support calm and overall well-being when regularly used, so it can be a great addition to your crazy kitty’s daily routine.
Hyperactive, Stressed-Out Cat
Another of the common cat moods is the stressed-out kitty cat. While hyperactivity can be a sign of stress in cats, sometimes a stressed cat will hide under furniture and be more still and subdued.
A crazy cat is sometimes happy and sometimes distressed – often, only the owner knows the difference between their cat’s playful parkour mood and the stressed-out, hyperactive mood. Either way, both can be difficult for a pet owner to manage, especially if they’re trying to cook dinner or work from home. CBD for cats can help ease the daily stress your cat may be going through.
Hisses and Scratches: A Cranky or Grumpy Cat
We all wish our cats could enjoy pets and purr at us all day, but most cats get into a cranky or grumpy mood at some point or another. This sometimes happens mid-snugglefest, when you’re rubbing your kitty’s belly and they suddenly decide it’s time to break out the claws and kitty fangs. A cranky or grumpy cat mood can mean a lot of hissing, scratching, and general dissonance in the household.
The Original “Fraidy” Cat: When a Cat Is Scared
While we might not think of fear as one of the cat moods, you might notice your cat feeling afraid or nervous at strange intervals, so it can certainly be considered a mood state. Cats are easily startled, and if this happens, they might descend into a general suspiciousness of everything around them. If you drop a glass on the floor while they’re nearby, it might take them a few hours to get out of their nervous funk.
Scared cats will sometimes repeatedly lick the same spot on their fur. They also might start using the bathroom outside of their litter box or move around with their head and tail down and tucked.
How to Read Your Cat’s Moods
As an involved and loving pet owner, you want to know how your cat is feeling at any given moment. Understanding your cat’s moods will help you take better care of your feline friend and ensure that they are comfortable and happy. Cats will give you clear signs that indicate how they’re feeling, such as:
- Bristled fur
- Tail whipping
- Slow blinking
- Scratching
- Rubbing
- Purring, meowing, and other vocalizations
What It Means When Your Cat’s Fur is Bristled
If your cat has bristled fur, meaning it stands up straight on their back and haunches, they are not happy at all. Bristled fur can indicate your cat is feeling threatened, aggressive, or angry about something in their environment. Bristled fur is often accompanied by an arched back and a fluffed-out tail, and occasionally accompanied by other aggressive behaviors like spitting, hissing, and scratching. This physical sign of your cat’s discomfort is an evolutionary development to make them look larger and more intimidating in the face of a threat.
A Lashing Tail Communicates Your Cat’s Mood
Your cat uses their tail for lots of things, from balance to communication. The way a cat moves its tail can say a lot about its mood. For example, a tail that is whipping back and forth quickly, with the movement focused at the tip, is likely communicating some discomfort, grumpiness, or aggression. But it can be a sign of calm contentment if a cat sways its tail gently and slowly from side to side. A happy cat might also wrap their tail around a person’s arm or leg in an effort to show affection.
When cats walk – or perhaps strut – with their tail straight and tall, it means they’re feeling comfortable and confident. They will often hook their tail towards a person they are happy to see, as well. Keep an eye on your cat’s tail to help read their mood.
Slow Blinking Indicates Love and Calm
A cat that feels safe and calm will sometimes blink slowly. Similar to the sleepy cat face when their eyes are half-closed, this behavior indicates that a cat is feeling absolutely at ease and trying to demonstrate their love for the person they are with.
Scratching Is Normal But May Indicate Stress
Most cats will scratch their cat tower or your furniture because it feels good and keeps their nails healthy. Scratching is not always a mood indicator, but sometimes it can be. If a cat is scratching excessively or starts scratching on inappropriate items that they used to ignore, they might be communicating stress. Destructive scratching can indicate your cat is feeling afraid or nervous. Often, such scratching will be accompanied by other behaviors that are associated with fear, such as cowering, hiding, or pinned-back ears.
Your Cat Rubs You to Bond
If your cat rubs against your legs or nuzzles you with their head, it indicates that they are feeling happy and loving towards you – and also possessive. Rubbing also acts as a request for something, usually just affection. If you notice your cat rubbing against you, they want to bond with you and feel loved. And they might want treats, too.
Your Cat’s Sounds Communicate Their Mood
Cats also communicate their moods vocally. From purring to meowing to screeching, cats have a variety of different vocalizations that can tell you something different about their state of mind. Usually, we have an instinctual understanding of these sounds – a sweet purr usually means they are content, a consistent meow means they need something, and a screech or scream might mean they are afraid or in pain. It’s important to consider your cat’s sounds in the context of other behavioral indicators to better understand what they are “telling” you about their mood.
Fun fact: Adult cats do not meow for each other, only for humans – a learned behavior so they can get us to do what they want!
What Causes Mood Swings in Your Cat
Several things can contribute to your cat’s new mood or a series of swift changes in cat moods. These might be:
- Changes to environment
- New pets or family members
- Overstimulation
- Underlying health issues
Changes in Environment Like a New House
Moving house or going on a trip is often a stressful experience for cats. While not all cats are the same – many love to go on adventures, and some even join their owners for permanently nomadic van life! – it’s safe to say that most cats find dramatic changes to their environment to be stressful. Thus, moving house or otherwise changing a cat’s environment can lead to a mood swing. Your cat friends often get stressed out with sudden changes, so it is important to be prepared. CBD for cats may be a good option when moving into a new home to help ease the transition.
New Pets or Family Members
Introducing new people or pets to your family can be a delight for you, but your kitty might find it stressful. Even if they likely grow to love your new family member, the early days of introducing a new person or animal to your household can cause a dramatic change in cat moods.
Cat Moods Might Change with Overstimulation
Changes in environment, new pets, new family members – all of these experiences can be summed up as overstimulation. Most cats like routine and familiarity, and when there are too many new things happening, they can get overstimulated. This can cause a dramatic shift in a cat’s mood.
Underlying Health Issues
If your cat's moods are really hard to keep track of, they might be the result of some kind of health issue that your cat is trying to communicate to you. Excessive hyperactivity may be an indicator of stress in your cat. If your feline suddenly gets into a grumpy cat mood while you’re scratching their belly, there might be something tender or sensitive on their body that they need to get checked out.
If you really can’t find another reason for the rapid change in cat moods, and the swings seem dramatic and out of character to you, you should definitely consult your veterinarian.
How to Manage Cat Mood Swings
If your household is somehow disturbed by your cat’s mood swings, or if you find your cat is staying in a negative mood rather than a positive one, you will want to learn how to manage cat moods. There are a lot of effective strategies for this, including:
- Daily consistency
- Reducing stimulation
- A special cat space
- A solid wellness routine that includes CBD for cats
A Consistent Daily Schedule
One way to improve your cat’s mood swings is with a more consistent daily schedule. If you have a revolving door of people coming in and out of the house every day, you might want to separate your cat from that action. Your cat should know when to expect feeding times and playtimes, and keeping their environment and schedule regular may help control their cat moods.
Consider Your Cat’s Daily Stimulation
Everybody loves a game of chase the laser, and engaging games are an important part of your cat’s mental health. But it is possible to overdo it – especially if everyone in the household is playing with your cat all day long!
Be considerate about how much stimulation your cat is getting every day. Be selective about when you play with them, and don’t pressure them to engage if they want to relax. Reducing your cat’s overstimulation might help them manage their cat moods.
Create a Safe, Cat-Specific Space in Your Home
Your cat might need a space where they can retreat so they can avoid overstimulation. While you can adapt your household and create a somewhat consistent daily routine for cats, they might simply need a place of their own.
This might be a box or enclosed kitty bed in the corner with a blanket and their food and water bowls, or even a small closet or quiet room where they can retreat for privacy. It’s ideal to create a space with a cat door that only they can access, so they can escape from other pets or people if they need to. Offering this space to your furry friends might help them manage more consistency in their mood.
A Solid Wellness Routine with CBD for Cats
CBD for cats can help with the everyday, normal feline mood swings in our favorite furry friends. Just like CBD offers well-being benefits for people, it can do the same for your cat too. CBD can help a kitty maintain a sense of calm, manage signs of daily stress, support physical comfort, and complement everyday wellness. Introducing CBD oil for cats or CBD treats for cats into their daily wellness routine can help them sustain a calm demeanor throughout the day. Or for particularly stressful situations like travel or veterinary appointments, consider calming oil for cats, which is specially formulated with CBD, melatonin, and soothing herbal ingredients to help promote a sense of calm.
Manage Your Cat’s Moods with These Strategies
If you have a moody cat on your hands, now you know why. “Cattitude” and mood swings are likely caused by something simple like a change in routine or overstimulation. Of course, if you have any concerns, always talk to your veterinarian to rule out underlying issues. If your kitty gets a clean bill of health but just needs a little help with those cat moods, try creating a safe space, introducing CBD for cats to their wellness routine, and being consistent with their stimulation each day.