Pet Anxiety Signs: How to Tell If Your Dog or Cat Is Stressed
Anxiety in pets is more common than most owners realise — and frequently misread as bad behaviour. Here is how to recognise the signs of stress in dogs and cats, and what you can do about it.
Anxiety in pets often does not look like what owners expect. It rarely looks like trembling and cowering — though it can. More often it looks like destructive behaviour, excessive clinginess, a pet who will not settle, or one who has suddenly started urinating in the wrong place. Before labelling these as behaviour problems, consider stress as a root cause.
Common Signs of Anxiety in Dogs
Behavioural signs
- Excessive barking, especially when alone
- Destructive behaviour (chewing furniture, scratching doors)
- Pacing or inability to settle
- Attempting to escape (jumping fences, scratching at exits)
- Following you from room to room
- Attention-seeking behaviour
Physical signs
- Panting without heat or exercise
- Yawning repeatedly in a stressful context
- Lip licking and nose licking
- Whale eye (showing the whites of the eyes)
- Low or tucked tail
- Ears flat or back
- Shaking or trembling
In the home
- House soiling in a previously toilet-trained dog
- Reduced or absent appetite
- Hiding or withdrawing
Common Signs of Anxiety in Cats
Behavioural signs
- Hiding more than usual
- Aggression that is new or disproportionate
- Spraying (urine marking) outside the litter box
- Overgrooming leading to bald patches or skin irritation
- Under-grooming (coat becoming dull or unkempt)
- Reduced or excessive vocalisation
Physical signs
- Dilated pupils
- Flattened ears
- Puffed tail
- Crouched posture, appearing smaller
- Rapid breathing in a non-physical-exertion context
Common Triggers
For dogs:
- Being left alone (separation anxiety)
- Loud noises (thunderstorms, fireworks)
- Changes in routine or household composition
- New environments
- Other dogs, strangers, or specific situations (vet, car travel)
For cats:
- New people or animals in the home
- Changes to territory (furniture moved, new smells, building work)
- Outdoor cats who are harassed by other cats
- Multi-cat households with poor resource distribution
Separation Anxiety
This is one of the most common and significant forms of anxiety in dogs. Signs occur specifically when the dog is alone or anticipates being left alone:
- Distress at departure cues (picking up keys, putting on a coat)
- Barking, howling, or whining continuously when alone
- Destructive behaviour only when alone
- House soiling only when alone
Separation anxiety requires gradual desensitisation to being alone — building from seconds to minutes to hours over time. This is a significant undertaking that benefits from professional guidance.
What Helps
Routine and predictability
Consistent feeding times, walk times, and sleep locations reduce ambient anxiety in both dogs and cats.
Environmental enrichment
A bored or under-stimulated pet is a more anxious one. Puzzle feeders, play sessions, and safe outdoor access (for cats) reduce stress.
Safe spaces
Every pet should have a space they can retreat to that is genuinely theirs — not disturbed by children, other animals, or visitors. For dogs, a crate with an open door. For cats, a high shelf or enclosed bed.
Calming products
Adaptil (dogs) and Feliway (cats) are synthetic pheromone products with evidence behind them for specific anxiety contexts (new environments, travel, multi-pet households). They are not a solution on their own but can be useful alongside other approaches.
Reducing exposure to triggers
Where possible, manage the environment to reduce exposure to known triggers while working on desensitisation. Blocking a window to prevent a dog from alarm-barking at passers-by, for example, reduces the rehearsal of anxious behaviour.
When to Talk to Your Vet
Contact your vet if:
- Anxiety is severe, persistent, or affecting quality of life
- Physical symptoms accompany the anxiety (vomiting, diarrhoea, injury from attempts to escape)
- Calming strategies have not made a difference after consistent effort
Vets can refer to veterinary behaviourists and, where appropriate, can discuss medication. Medication for anxiety in pets is not a last resort — for some animals, it creates the neurological window in which behaviour modification can actually work.
Anxiety is a welfare issue. Recognising it early and taking it seriously is one of the most important things you can do for a pet you care about.
Printable and fillable PDF templates for pet owners — feeding schedules, health records, training trackers and more.