So far, we’ve discovered cats became home companions about 9500 years ago. 9500 years is a long time but not long enough for cats to shed their hunting instinct. Nearly all kitten play is hunting exercises. Cats are genetically predisposed to express their needs and hunting is still very much a part of your pet.
If your cat shows signs of anxiety, like sleeping all the time or not using the litter box, or waking you up at odd hours, or aggression towards you, other people or cats, there is one way of easing all that.
When cats can engage in natural hunter feeding most anxious behavior disappears. Don’t worry, you don’t need mice running all over your home. Instead, reduce the size of your cat’s meals to at least 5 portions. Multiple. Smaller meals are how cats naturally evolved to eat. You can defrost the food in advance and keep the divided food in your refrigerator.
If you are at home, hide the meals in different spots, so your cat has to find them.
If you’re away you can hide the morning meal and then hide the evening meals throughout the evening and even before you go to bed.
For multiple cats this can be more difficult. Separating the cats for feeding is the best option.
Don’t forget plenty of water! (You don’t need to hide it).