spook

My brandie girl is scared of everything. I feel so awful about it because somethimes you can just see the scared-waryness in her eyes as she is walking across a room. and one slight movement and shell jump really big. or at a creaking noice shell jump... or at another cat moving shell jump...im afraid shes going to have a lil kitty heart attack. when you try to pet her she will curve her back down or again... jump, even with slow movemets she is just so scared of everything...is this normal? is there a way i can relax her?

How old is she? How long have you had her? What is her background?

shes around six. We have has her since she was a kitten, and got her from a local humane society. I was about 10 when we got her, i just hope that my little kid enthusiasm didnt make her scared of everything

Has she been like this the whole time you've had her? Or is it a recent change? What kind of place do you live in--house, apartment, city, country? How many people live in your household? What is the household like--busy, noisy, calm, variable? How do the other people in your house treat Brandie? Is she an indoor-only cat, indoor/outdoor?

My Eva is a scaredy cat. She's progressed a lot since we adopted her, though she recently regressed a little when my boyfriend did something--touched her or something--while she was eating. (I don't know exactly what he did, but it made me )

While suggestions on how to deal with timid cats will vary based on the circumstances, the best advice I've found so far is: Ignore the cat. Provide food and water and all the other comforts--nice bedding, a comfy place to hide, good toys--be reliable and stick to a schedule as much as possible, but other than that, ignore her. Do not approach her to pet her, play, or otherwise pay attention unless she seems to be asking for it. Once she realizes that you will provide for her without "demanding" anything of her, she should start to relax. Base your behavior toward her on her cues.

But do tell us more about your situation, so we can tailor our advice to your cat.

ummm yea for the most past she has been like this the whole time weve had her.
We live in a house in a suburb, 4 people, but ocasionaly laura had friends coming in and out alot. Our house is generally calm, with some exceptions that go with any house. People treat her well, shes my moms baby, everyone loves her and treats her great. When she wants atteniton she wants it :-) flopping and rolling all over the place. Shes mostly an indoor cat except for supervised visits to the back yard.
umm i think that was everything....thank you all for the help

Ok, I have a better idea of what she's like now. It sounds like she can be affectionate when she wants to, while other times she seems spooked. Am I correct?

Eva is like this, too. She especially doesn't like being approached when she's walking on the floor. She's ok if she's lying on the floor, and she's fine when she's on the bed or on the couch (standing or sitting), but standing on the floor, no good--she'll flee. So, we've basically learned her boundaries--don't approach when she's standing on the floor, don't pick her up (she likes her feet firmly planted on the ground), leave her alone when she's acting spooked (for whatever reason).

Another thing I've learned is, if I approach her to pet her (rather than when she comes to me) I first hold out my hand, palm to the floor, and allow her to sniff. The palm-down position is non-threatening (I can't grab her), and she can check out my hand for new smells, or to see if there's something there. Then I slowly pet her in her favorite places.

It sounds like your girl doesn't need remedial ignoring therapy , though. The more you can act on her cues, the more relaxed she will be. And if it really bothers you, you could try the Feliway diffuser that is so highly recommended on these boards (though I've never tried it).

sounds great...thats alsmost exactly what shes like... doesnt mind attention except when walking on a floor. Well ill leave her alone till she needs attention :-) thanks for the help!

My cat is the exact same way. I call him Scaredy. Scared to death of everything and is making himself sick because he is so scared. Especially scared of people visiting even though they did absolutely nothing to him. As for attention, the crazy cat is only scared of me during the day. During the night, he is not scared, he jumps up on the bed and I can't get a good night sleep. I wonder why he thinks I am so mean and horrible during the day, but so sweet and nice during the night?
I think my cat is bipolar.