CATS are liable to be as stressed as their owners by the arrival of a new baby or a sudden upheaval in their lives, and can even become seriously ill as a result, according to research published yesterday.

A study of family pets suffering from bladder problems revealed that in most cases their illness was stress-related. The primary causes were conflict with other co-habiting cats or a move to a new house or the addition of a new baby.

Those most affected by anxiety were pedigree, middle-aged, and overweight male cats that did not venture outside much and ate a predominantly dry-food diet, as opposed to the recommended diet for cats of canned “wet” food or fresh meat and fish.

Unsettling changes in their lives led them to hide indoors and seek comfort by binging on dry food, which made them fat and more vulnerable to illness.

Pet owners are advised to help their cats to regain their equilibrium by encouraging them to eat wet food and drink more fluids by adding tuna-flavoured ice cubes to their water. Releasing a soothing scent, including specialist cat pheromones, into the air can also help reduce anxiety, a pilot study showed.

Dr Danielle Gunn-Moore, a senior lecturer in feline medicine at Edinburgh University’s veterinary school, said: “The tuna-flavoured ice cube is just drained tuna mixed up with a bit of water. It makes the water taste better for the cats and encourages them to drink more.”

Dr Gunn-Moore’s research, released yesterday, revealed that the most significant cause of stress was the arrival of another cat or a baby in the household. “Feline lower urinary tract disease is frustrating for vets and owners because most cases have no apparent cause,” Dr Gunn-Moore said.

“We believed that stress could be a trigger and wanted to identify differences in the cats’ environments and temperaments which might cause this condition.”

The findings showed that cats living together but not getting along caused long-term stress which in turn led to the development of bladder disease. “If a cat is living with another cat where there is conflict, this is a chronic situation,” Dr Gunn-Moore said.

She added that aggressive cats were among the least likely to suffer from stress. “It is the less confident ones that are suffering,” she said. “They tend to eat more and stay around the house a lot — a bit like when humans eat for comfort.”

The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) welcomed the research yesterday and said that it would prove valuable for pet owners. Doreen Graham, the SSPCA’s spokeswoman, said: “We have always known that cats are extremely sensitive and this study highlights a problem more widespread than previously thought.”

Dr Gunn-Moore’s research was carried out over six years with more than a hundred cats from different families. While the healthy cats seemed happy, the more stressed animals were withdrawn and less active.

The study showed that as well as displaying signs of anxiety, stressed cats drink less, which leads to urinary tract infections which can be difficult to treat.

During the study the cat owners were also asked to keep diaries of their cats’ behaviour. Many reported that a fear of strangers was their pet’s most common problem.

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