Hey, I'm a cool Cat. Cats work hard to protect that image. What most people don't know about us Cats-we can't handle stress. It's true! It happened to a friend of a friend of mine.
Allow me to share his story.  His adopted family calls him, Jax. Only a small, young kitten when they found him alone outside. His mother left him because he had a funny bottom lip that didn't quite cover his teeth. At least that's what we Cats think the reason is for being left on his own. We were happy his cries for help were heard. He now has a young friend to play and cuddle with, in the warmth of a home.

Just recently though, little Jax developed a blockage within his bladder.  The veterinarian said that stress could have been a factor. Some causes of a blockage in a cats bladder are an imbalanced diet, low water intake, or an infection.
If we are anxious we might not eat properly or drink enough water. Stress can make us urinate more, and we will do this whenever the urge hits. We can't help it. When our stress reaches a high level that is when other health problems may arise. One of those problems could be stones in our bladder.  According to Chrissie Klinger, Stress and Feline Urinary Problems: How to Deal With It, if you can catch some of our signs of stressing you could maybe help prevent a health problem later. Some behaviors like a loss of bladder control, reduced appetite, hiding or excessive licking can all be signs that something is bothering us.
Some preventative measures you can do to help us Cats out would be keeping our litter box clean, accessible and located so we don't feel trapped when we use it. I have another Cat friend living in my home. She  dominates and tries to bully me. Fortunately, my human friends have a litter box for each of us. So when she tries to keep me out of one I just move on. Sometimes my fellow Cats are the cause of stress. Even my dominate house friend can get stressed because of neighborhood Cats. We protect our territory, so beware. 
It is important to have safe places, indoors and out. Those are locations we know we can go to get away from everything and nothing can hurt us. I like my comfy bed that is up high on my exercise, scratch post. A tree can be helpful when running from a dog, or a quick duck through my home's trap door are safe guards for me while outside.
Cats need to drink water. We like to drink fresh water. A good way to ensure we get enough water is with a pet water fountain. Sometimes all we need is more attention. Pet and play with us to let us know we are secure and loved.

So what could have caused little Jax to be anxious?
Well lets make a list: 
-left on his own at only one month old
-introduced to his adopted family and their black Labrador
-his new best friend is only four years old and a short time after being adopted, a new baby came to live  in the home as well
-two months later his best friend started his first day at school.  Jax missed his attention during the day, and he felt the stress his young friend experienced going to school for the first time.
-then he met the neighborhood dogs and fellow Cats
I know some of those neighborhood introductions were stressful.  Even his young friend was stressed out when two dogs thought they could use poor Jax as their play toy. Again, his adopted family came to Jax's rescue. They say us Cats have nine lives. Jax may have used up three by now. A lot of stress for a kitten in a short time. It is no wonder he developed a health problem like stones in his bladder.
Luckily, Jax got proper treatment, and the family is doing what they can to get him healthy through diet, and stress free living. 

Author, Linda Sachs
Hope you enjoyed a Cat's story of some true events.