Cats: They’re just like us.
Cats experience anxiety and stress just as acutely as humans can, although the ways they exhibit their distress can be subtle or downright confusing. You may have noticed certain behaviors in your cat without even realizing that they are signs of anxiety or stress. If you have observed your cat engaging in repetitive habits, he or she may be suffering from feline compulsive disorder.
Is your cat grooming herself excessively? It may be a sign of anxiety.
Feline compulsive disorder “involves abnormal, repetitive behavior that occurs without an apparent trigger when other physical or behavioral causes have been excluded. The behavior can result from frustration, anxiety, and/or stress.” Just as mental distress can drive humans to engage in comforting behaviors (healthy or otherwise,) these compulsions are your cat’s attempts to self-soothe in the face of something that is distressing.
According to PetMD.com, some of the most common behaviors that can arise under feline compulsive disorder include “grooming to the extent that fur is rubbed off; compulsive pacing; repetitive vocalizations; and eating, sucking, or chewing on fabric.” Do you recognize any of these habits in your cat? While they may seem harmless at first, they are red flags that your cat is struggling mentally. If the behaviors are chronic, it is important to address the underlying anxiety and stress that is driving them.
Many owners are unable to identify the trigger that causes these compulsions to begin – but that doesn’t mean you can’t help. According to Karen Lynn C. Sueda, DVM, DACVB, VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital, “the goal of treatment should be to reduce the cat’s global anxiety and frustration through environmental enrichment. Feline environmental enrichment provides a means to avoid stressful situations and opportunities to engage in normal, species-typical behavior (eg: provision of scratching posts and litter boxes).” With less overall stress, your cat will be able to disengage from the compulsive behaviors.
While many veterinarians will prescribe anti-anxiety medications to address the problem, these can cause a host of side effects. When the goal is to make your cat feel better, it can be difficult to rationalize a drug that could potentially make him or her feel worse. Fortunately, there is another way to treat your cat’s anxiety. There is Alpha-Stim®.
Alpha-Stim quickly brings a sense of calm to anxious pets.
Alpha-Stim is an FDA cleared medical device – not a drug – clinically proven to safely and effectively treat anxiety and stress disorders in cats and other animals. A tiny current is delivered through two earclip electrodes; the patented waveform restores balance to the brain, making your cat feel better, fast. Treatments are painless, and take only 10-20 minutes (in cats) easily done in the comfort of your own home.
Relief from anxiety is long lasting and often immediate. On top of that, results are cumulative – so the more often you treat your pets, the better they’ll feel, and the less often they’ll need it! Since Alpha-Stim is not a drug, there is no risk of lasting side effects, and it is safe to use in conjunction with other treatment modalities.
Alpha-Stim Case Study
Dr. Ava Frick, the Veterinary Medical Director for Electromedical Products International, Inc., has used Alpha-Stim with great success in her own practice.
This feline patient presented with over-zealous grooming. Dr. Frick used Alpha-Stim CES applied via earclips placed on the ears for 20 minutes twice a day, then adjusted down as the cat’s grooming behavior decreased.
After two months of Alpha-Stim treatments, this patient’s compulsive grooming was relieved and fur was able to grow back,
If your cat is exhibiting the signs of feline compulsive disorder, it’s important to recognize that there is an underlying issue of anxiety and stress at play. But it’s also important to know that you have the ability to safely and effectively improve your pets’ quality of life – and you don’t have to resort to pharmaceuticals. Get started with Alpha-Stim today, and give your cat freedom from both the compulsive behavior, and the distress that drives it.
About Alpha-Stim® For Animals
Alpha-Stim is an FDA cleared, handheld medical device that has been proven time and again to effectively treat acute, post traumatic, and chronic pain, as well as anxiety, insomnia, and depression.
Cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) is delivered through a patented waveform via two earclip electrodes to treat anxiety, insomnia, and depression. Microcurrent electrical therapy (MET) delivers pain relief directly to the source of an animal’s discomfort via two handheld Smart Probes.
The effectiveness of Alpha-Stim is backed by over 100 independent clinical research studies. It is the most popular medical device used at home in the treatment and elimination of pain, anxiety, and stress-related disorders in animals. Alpha-Stim is recommended and relied upon by Dr. Ava Frick, the leading authority in veterinary microcurrent therapy.
Alpha-Stim is easy to use at home or in clinic, and treatments last mere minutes. Relief is long lasting and often immediate, and results are cumulative – unlike with medications, your patients will require fewer and fewer treatments over time. Alpha-Stim is available by prescription in the United States and over-the-counter in other countries. To offer Alpha-Stim therapy at your veterinary practice, click here to buy now![/fusion_text]
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