My cat is anxious and can't get relaxed

[Ricci303]

Hello. My cat is 14 years old. He is healthy and playful, surrounded by love and care. About two days ago we noticed that he is got anxious, and today it happened again.
He is worried about something, looking around the house, smelling everything, taking a look in every hole like he is looking for something or someone. After all, he is getting a little calmer, sitting down. We were trying to comfort him. But still, he can't relax, he is listening to something, staring all around. His tail is nervously shaking, not too much, and his ears are hot.
He doesn't seem ill. He is eating well and drinks water, although he all the time raises his head to look around. He reacts normally when we call him, looks like he feels better near us.

For the first time, he calmed down quite fast, after an hour he got to sleep and forgot about that. Now it is longer, it is been more than three hours. I'm worried about him, i don't know if it is normal or not - he was never like that. There are chances that some insect broke into the house and sneaking around but we didn't see anything in these two days.

 

[Caspers Human]

Is he making the Flehmen Response?

Flehmen response - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

If he is, it's probably because he smells another cat.

Is he neutered? If not, and he's making the Flehmen Response, it's probably because he smells a girl cat.

Cats can smell other cats, outside, even if they are inside the house. It's almost as if the walls aren't there.

It's possible that there is another cat that appeared, outside the house, recently and he's reacting to that other cat.

 

[Ricci303]

Thank you for your response! Yes, my cat is neutered. He does not the Flehmen Response, but you may be right - it is possible that our neighbors have a new cat. It is hot outside so our windows are opened, maybe this way my cat can get the smell.
Maybe you know how to deal with that smell? I would appreciate any suggestions

 

[meowpassion]

You might use safe (!) essential oils (e.g.Frankincense oil - topical use) or blend the following:
Frankincense Essential Oil, 2 drops
Lavender Essential Oil, 2 drops
Roman Chamomile Essential Oil, 2 drops
and use in a diffuser. But you should be sure that the essential oils are of the best quality (cannot be synthetic, diluted with chemicals, and not tested at all)

 

[Caspers Human]

You might be able to us aromatics to cover another cat’s scent but most felines’ sense of smell can discriminate one scent from another well enough that they can “see through the smoke screen” so to speak.

I don’t know for sure but it might be just enough to distract the cat from paying attention to the “undesirable” scent.

Keeping windows closed might work, but it might only slow down the spread of the other cat’s scent. Some say that a cat’s sense of smell is more sensitive than a dog’s.

Have you tried a Feliway diffuser? That might help, too.

We often use “Nag Champa” incense in the house. Maybe that could work?