Miserable moggies are in line for a new tonic - tuna-flavored ice cubes.
Researchers at Edinburgh's famous Royal Dick vet school have spent six years working on the formula to cheer up stressed cats. They say it works because unhappy cats have a habit of binge eating on dry food and not drinking enough. Popping frozen tinned tuna into their water makes them drink more and protects them from painful bladder disease.
The study revealed that cats become lazy, withdrawn and fat as they become stressed and start hiding indoors and bingeing on dry food to comfort themselves.
The most common cause of stress is being forced to live with other cats they don't get along with.
Moving house and a new arrival in the family are said to be other triggers of unhappiness in cats. Other ways of relaxing cats included installing a drinking fountain and spraying specialist cat pheromone air fresheners to calm them down.
Dr. Danielle Gunn-Moore, a senior lecturer in feline medicine at the vet school, said cats drinking the fish-flavored ice were less likely to die of stress-related bladder diseases. She said: We've discovered a lot of fascinating things about how cats behave.
â€Cats that are suffering from stress tend not to be the ones that will hiss at other cats in the garden - it is the less confident ones that are suffering. They will tend to eat more and stay around the house a lot - a bit like when humans eat for comfort. They can become overweight and not drink as much water as they should. This can trigger bladder diseases. Cats also love running water and getting them a drinking fountain is also a good idea.â€
A separate pilot study into the effects of cat pheromone air fresheners, which simulate the scents that cats leave on ‘friends’, is now under way at the vet school.