EDINBURGH, Scotland, Oct 27, 2004 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Scottish researchers said cats can suffer from stress-related illnesses just like humans, BBC News Online reported.

Rivalry with another cat is the biggest source of feline anxiety, said researchers at Edinburgh University's school of veterinary studies. Moving is another cause of trouble, as is the arrival of a new member of the owner's family.

The researchers compared 31 cats with bladder disease to 24 healthy cats in the same households and used a control group of 125 other healthy cats. They found a link between the disease and the level of stress the felines were enduring.

"This group of diseases of the bladder is most commonly seen in pedigree, middle-aged, overweight male cats, which don't go out much and eat a dry food diet," said Danielle Gunn-Moore, senior lecturer in feline medicine.

"We believed stress could be a trigger and wanted to identify differences in the cats' environments and temperaments which might cause this condition," she said.

The research suggests cats with such illnesses should be fed wet food and encouraged to drink more fluid by adding tuna-flavored ice cubes to water.

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