Health · 7 min read

Cat anxiety in Australia — Feliway, gabapentin, behaviourists ranked

By Catstuff Editorial · Published 2026-05-14 · Updated 2026-05-14

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Anxiety affects ~20% of AU cats meaningfully. Here's what actually works — and the order to try it in, from $30 pheromone diffuser to specialist medication.

Cat anxiety presents differently than dog anxiety — hiding, over-grooming, litter-box avoidance, inappetence, or aggression rather than barking and pacing. AU vets see it most often after moves, new household members, or building works next door. Here's the evidence-based order of intervention in 2026.

Step 1: Environmental enrichment (free–$200)

Before any product, address environment:

Vertical territory. Cats feel safe up high. Shelving, cat trees, window perches.
Hiding spots. Boxes, covered beds, the underside of furniture. The cat needs to retreat without being followed.
Resource separation in multi-cat households. Food, water, litter trays spread across the home — never clustered. Rule: n+1 trays for n cats, each in a different room.
Routine. Cats are routine-driven. Feeding times, play sessions, lights-off at the same time daily reduces baseline anxiety.

For ~30% of mildly anxious cats, this is the entire fix.

Step 2: Pheromone diffusers ($35–$60)

Feliway Classic (synthetic feline facial pheromone) — for solo-cat anxiety, environmental change adjustment.

Feliway Friends (synthetic appeasing pheromone) — for multi-cat tension specifically.

Plug-in diffusers cover ~70m². One per main living area. Refills every 4 weeks at $30–40 each.

Published evidence is modest but consistent — Feliway lowers anxiety scores in roughly 50–60% of cats, with effects measurable from week 2. Cheap intervention, low risk, worth trying before medication.

Available at Pet Circle, Petbarn, VetSupply.

Step 3: Diet support ($25–60/month add-on)

Royal Canin Calm and Hill's Prescription Diet c/d Multicare Stress contain alpha-casozepine and L-tryptophan — both with modest published evidence for feline anxiety reduction. Worth trying for 4–6 weeks before stepping up.

Not curative for severe anxiety. Useful in combination with environmental fixes for mild-to-moderate cases.

Step 4: Nutraceuticals ($30–80/month)

Zylkene (alpha-casozepine capsule) — sprinkled on food. Useful for situational anxiety (vet visits, fireworks, building works). 1–2 week course usually.

Anxitane (L-theanine chewable tablet) — similar use case.

CBD products — increasingly popular in AU but legally murky for veterinary use. Discuss with your vet before purchasing; product quality varies enormously.

Step 5: Prescription medication ($30–120/month + vet consult)

When environmental and nutraceutical interventions don't move the needle, AU vets reach for:

Gabapentin — most common AU prescription for cat anxiety. Used short-term for vet visits (a single 100mg dose 90 minutes pre-visit transforms the cat-carrier-vet trip for many cats) or longer-term for chronic anxiety. Cheap (~$30/month). Mild sedation as side effect; most cats tolerate well.
Fluoxetine (Prozac) — for chronic anxiety, over-grooming, aggression. SSRI; 4–6 weeks to full effect. Compounded into a flavoured liquid by AU pharmacies (~$40–60/month).
Clomipramine — tricyclic alternative when fluoxetine doesn't fit. Older drug, more side effects, still useful in specific cases.
Trazodone — situational anxiety alternative to gabapentin. Less commonly prescribed for cats in AU than gabapentin.

Always vet-prescribed. Never give cats human anti-anxiety medication — most are toxic.

Step 6: Feline behaviourist consult ($180–$350)

If you've worked through steps 1–5 and the anxiety persists, a specialist consult identifies the specific trigger and recommends a tailored protocol. AVSAB-certified or CABTSG-affiliated behaviourists in AU. Most consult by video now — no need to travel.

Cheaper than another year of unresolved anxiety, and they catch the environmental triggers owners miss.

What pet insurance covers

Behavioural conditions are a grey area in AU pet insurance. Most policies:

Cover medication if prescribed for a diagnosed behavioural condition
Don't cover behaviourist consults as standard — counted as training
Don't cover environmental products (Feliway, Zylkene)

Petplan and Bow Wow Meow have slightly stronger behavioural-condition cover than the PetSure-underwritten policies.

When anxiety is actually pain

Sudden-onset anxiety in a previously settled cat is almost always pain, not behaviour. Common culprits: arthritis (especially cats 8+), dental pain, urinary tract issues, hyperthyroidism. A vet exam with bloods + urinalysis rules these out — and it should be the first step, not the fifth, when the change is sudden.

Popular cat breeds

Looking for a cat? Start with the breeds Australian readers research most:

Ragdoll British Shorthair Domestic Shorthair Maine Coon Burmese Siamese