Lulu
Lulu
Lulu
Lula is a domestic short hair black cat. She is approximately 6 years old, although we don't know her exact age as she was a rescue I got from the RSPCA 2 years ago.
She’s my little companion and I look forward to getting home as I know she will be there to greet me and help me forget the stresses of the day.
How does your pet show they are anxious?
In a few different ways. Usually I know Lula is getting anxious as she has skin flare ups where she will scratch herself until she bleeds especially around her face. She also develops eye infections if she is particularly bad and will need steroid injections and drops from the vets to treat them.
When did you first spot signs of the anxieties in your pet?
Not long after I got her, I noticed she had no fur on her belly and was constantly
licking it which left it looking very bloody and sore. The vet said this would be an anxiety related habit probably from her time in the cattery at the rescue centre, which she found so stressful she lost a lot of her fur. She also got a urine infection a
couple of months after I got her which the vet put down to stress so I knew that something was troubling her as I had made no changes that could unsettle her. I also discovered that she had a food allergy which affects her skin so a lot of her skin problems
How do these anxieties make you as a pet owner feel?
When she first came to me were put down to that but having got that under control I now know that some of it would have been down to her anxieties as she still has flare ups occasionally.
What would it mean to you to help your pet cope with these issues?
It would mean a lot of if I could help her with her anxieties as I rescued her to give her the best life possible after not a very good start to her life. Hopefully it would reduce the amount of visits to the vets as this stresses her out too but I have to take her because her eye/urine infections could turn into something serious if I leave them.
Why is it important to highlight these issues to other pet owners?
It is important to highlight these issues so that other pet owners know what signs to look for that could be related to anxiety and take the steps to try to prevent it.
