The 31-year-old, who has over 300,000 followers on Instagram under his handle johanandhiscats, said he used to be drawn to clothes and accessories in pet stores or online shops as his cats would look cute in them.
“One day, I noticed one of my cats froze and looked gloomy when I tried to dress it up. Upon further examination, some of my cats did seem uncomfortable and even stressed when I adorned them with accessories, even though they looked cute in my eyes,” he told Bernama.
In 2016, Johan – who owns 30 cats including breeds such as Scottish Fold, British Fold, Maine Coon, American Bobtail, Sacred Birman and Sphynx – opened a cat studio in Shah Alam, Selangor to educate the public on how to care for their pets.
But the studio was shut down after eight months as he wanted to care for the wellbeing of his feline friends.
“The response from the public was good but there were too many people in the studio, some of whom didn’t follow the rules I had set, and my cats appeared uncomfortable,” he recalled.
He said even putting on a cat collar can cause stress to the animals. “The collar itself can pose a danger if it is not put on properly. If you have to put one on your pet, make sure you can place a finger between its neck and the collar to ensure it is not too tight and does not suffocate the cat.
“Many owners forget about this and let their cats wander outside while wearing a collar. This can endanger the animals as they can get caught on a fence or a tree branch”, which can result in injury or even death.
Kitty’s Care Animal Clinic and Surgery founder Dr Muhammad Naim Mohd Kasim said domestic animals such as cats can feel stressed when humans disrupt their normal behaviour.
“People like the idea of their pets adapting to their lives; for example, they put mittens on their cats’ paws and find it cute. However, cats need to sharpen their claws as that is their normal behaviour,” he said.
He pointed out that stress, as experienced by humans and cats, can be very different. For example, a person under duress might turn to food, while a stressed cat will not eat even when it is hungry.
“Cats can also become fearful when they are stressed, and might experience significant fur loss,” Naim added.
While those with friendly dispositions can easily adapt to new environments, cats who are more emotional are prone to stress, which can affect their health. Related stress factors include changes to their food and/or litter boxes, or the introduction of a new cat.
“When a cat is stressed, it can even be afraid to urinate, especially when there is a change in the type of litter used. Some cats may withhold urination, while others might protest by peeing outside the litter box.
“When the frequency of urination is disrupted, it can lead to the formation of kidney stones,” Naim cautioned.
He added that stress can result in different physiological responses in cats, subsequently causing their immune systems to weaken. When this happens, the animals become more vulnerable to dangerous conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney stones, and diabetes.
Nurul Ain Abdul Hamid can attest to this: the owner of Seroja Inn Home Shelter in Shah Alam said many of her new arrivals developed kidney stones owing to the stress of being in new surroundings.
“They were previously healthy cats but, after coming to my shelter, refused to urinate in the litter boxes provided as they were not used to it, which led to the kidney stones,” she said.
She added that the cats in her shelter – who number over 100 – are treated with care and concern to ensure they feel comfortable.
Nurul Ain further noted that felines under duress usually experience fur loss, or have spiky or clumped coats.
And based on her experience, cats that carry viruses of life-threatening illnesses such as as parvo or feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) must remain stress-free to prevent the viruses from becoming active. “As stress weakens the cat’s immune system, it will not be able to fight the virus,” she said.