Calm a Stressed Cat or Other Animal

A big part of my cat rescue work has been trapping feral (wild) cats to be spayed or neutered then released back to their colony or sometimes rehomed. There is usually a waiting period before surgery unless the veterinarian is prepared to take them immediately — not a typical scenario. Then there is a recovery time following the surgery before they can be safely released. All this time the cat is caged and in strange surroundings.

As you can imagine, a confined wild cat is going to be majorly stressed during this time period. But there is a brainwave entrainment sound frequency that I use to calm a stressed cat.

Control Stress from Isochiral Music is said to “spontaneously relax mind and body”. I can attest to that — the first time I listened to it I felt like I was melting. I continue to use it when I am stressed out or just as a way to relax before sleeping. It is excellent for use with animals because it entrains their brains to de-stress. And of course the brain dictates the animal’s behavior.

I have used this to calm a newly trapped cat that was crying continuously at night. The crying stopped and I was able to sleep! I played this mp3 so all the cats could hear it when workmen were trimming trees close to the house with loud noise from chainsaws and trucks. And — sadly — I played it to calm a cat who had to be euthanized. He was panicking because a tumor on his soft palate was making it difficult for him to breathe. Hearing the mp3, he relaxed on my arm. The veterinarian caught on right away and asked if it was calming.

Back to the cat that was crying at night. She relaxed enough to stop crying but she still wouldn’t eat. Vets have said to me that cats have to feel good to eat. Another mp3 from Isochiral Music is Endorphin Release. This entrainment  releases endorphins which are the body’s natural painkillers and also enhance mood (I listen to this if I’m grumpy and out of sorts). After playing this mp3 beside the cat’s cage for awhile she began to eat.

These entrainment recordings are now a basic part of my bag of tricks for working with frightened or otherwise stressed cats. In particular I recommend Control Stress  for animals who are afraid of storms or will be hearing fireworks or other loud noises.