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Cats can experience fear and stress as any other animal. General fear and stress can be described as anxiety, panic, fear and phobia.

Cats can experience fear and stress as any other animal. General fear and stress can be described as anxiety, panic, fear and phobia.

'''Anxiety''' is the apprehensive anticipation of future threat or danger accompanied by somatic signs of tension. Anxiety is very pervasive and the state of anxiety can be persistent and chronic. Owners may report that the cat fatigues easily,is irritable, has a disturbed sleep, is hesitant or has [[Housesoiling - Cat|elimination problems]].

'''Anxiety''' is the apprehensive anticipation of future threat or danger accompanied by somatic signs of increased arousal and tension. Owners may report that the cat is withdrawn, irritable, or hesitant.  Anxiety is seen in situations in which threat or conflict has previously been experienced, as well as in new situations in which the individual is unable to predict or control what may happen to it. Anxiety can be acute or chronic, and has a pervasive effect on the animal's behaviour. It can interfere with the individual's the ability to respond to normal social and environmental cues.  

In anxious cats, apprehension overrides the ability to respond to normal social and environmental cues. Anxiety often precedes any actual threat or negative experience. Anxiety also occurs when the animal enters a situation in which it has no reliable rule structure for its interactions and where it has no control. Anxiety is therefore more likely in a situation where the animal is in an environment or situation that is unfamiliar to it, or when it meets a novel stimulus.

'''Panic''' attacks are discrete episodes of intense anxiety and arousal. In humans, panic is associated with tachycardia and dyspnoea, which the patient may perceive to be severe enough to be life threatening. Animals are unable to report the feelings associated with panic, so it is assumed to occur based on signs. It tends to occur when an animal is unable to avoid or escape from a situation in which it is already anxious. Cats will display absolute avoidance of any situation in which panic has previously been experienced and will engage extreme escape responses.

'''Panic''' attacks are discrete episodes of intense anxiety. Panic in animals is assumed from observations as it cannot be described by the individual experiencing the panic. It tends to occur when the cat is trapped in an intensely negative emotional situation (such as being trapped in a room where there are loud noises) and is unable to carry out normal avoidant behaviour. Cats will display absolute avoidance of any context in which panic has previously been experienced and will engage extreme escape responses.

'''Fear''' is the apprehension of a specific object, person or situation. The source of fear is localisable and identifiable. Its presentation elicits fear and its removal terminates it. Fear is a normal, adaptive experience that enables an individual to avoid harm. It is socially communicated between conspecifics. It is also postulated that there is a strong relationship between fear and frustration. Frustration is experienced when an individual does not achieve an expected positive outcome. So, both fear and frustration relate to an expectation of a negative outcome. Experimentally animals respond with precisely the same escape response both to fear and frustration, so it is assumed that both experiences relate to the same underlying emotional response.

'''Fear''' is the apprehension of a specific object, person or situation. The source of fear is localisable and identifiable. Its presentation elicits fear and its removal terminates it. Fear is a normal, adaptive experience that enables an individual to avoid harm. It is socially communicated between conspecifics. It is also postulated that there is a strong relationship between fear and frustration. The distinction between the two can only be made by humans on the basis of the intensity of the experience combined with an interpretation of the preceding events, so we are able to give the name ‘frustration’ to the experience of not achieving an anticipated outcome. Experimentally animals respond with precisely the same escape response both to fear and conditions of the frustration of not getting a reward that was anticipated so we assume that both experiences produce the same emotional response.

'''Phobic''' fear more intense and long lasting than normal fear. The animal reacts with a high-level of fear even to low level presentations of the fearful stimulus, and then take a long time to recover from it. Phobic fears do not naturally extinguish with repeated exposure and in fact tend to worsen over time.

 

'''Phobias''' as experienced by animals are fears that do not naturally extinguish with repeated exposure. There is a sudden ‘all or nothing’ response that lacks the grading seen in other fear responses. A lack of variation in the response is apparent. Phobias can develop as a result from a single aversive event as well as from minor aversive experiences for poorly socialised and habituated cats.  

==Signs of Fear==

==Signs of Fear==