Cat Afraid Of Fabric

[Grace13Cats]

Hello All. My kitty Purr apparently has a phobia about fabric of any sort - specifically blankets. She lives in a 2,400 SF enclosure with my other cats. She's always been an odd little thing but her oddities seem to be escalating. Specifically she refuses to go indoors or sleep in kitty shelters outdoors or even big blankets left in a chair or box outdoors. A couple of mornings ago we nearly lost her because she was apparently curled up on the ground all night and nearly froze (it was 32F)! Now she is in my Mother's house but refuses to sit anywhere but floors or wood furniture.
I live in a rural area where vets treat cats but know little about behavior. Until I can get her to the city I thought I'd try here. Any inside would be MOST appreciated.

 

[Kieka]

Can you put a straw stuffed box in the area for her? If she has an aversion to fabric the straw may be different enough for her to lay on and it will provide some insulation and warmth during colder weather. If that doesn't work you may need to build an insulated box that is smooth on the top/inside for her but insulated for warmth. Think a large tupperwear with a smaller box inside, cut holes through the two boxes so she can get inside the smaller one, then fill the space between the boxes with straw so that their is some warmth retention. Set the box up in a space where it is turned away from any wind so there isn't a frost issue. Other cats in the area may try to take the spot from her so you may need to set up several to make sure there is one for her. If you already have those set up it may be a trapped issue for her so you may need to build one with two entrances so she isn't trapped.

It is good that she is at your mothers. If the hard surfaces are out of the weather I wouldn't worry too much about her preferring them. Some cats just don't like the softer surfaces or a traumatic experience may have spoiled cloth for her.

 

[Grace13Cats]

Thank you! She has three outdoor shelters that she won't use but I like the idea of two entrances. And straw is a good idea as well. She is in a 2,400 SF fully enclosed facility - half indoors and half outdoors - so while others may try out her new place(s) I do have some control. Greatly appeciate the input! I've had 125 cats in my adult life and yet there are still things to learn about them....

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Hello All. My kitty Purr apparently has a phobia about fabric of any sort - specifically blankets. ... Now she is in my Mother's house but refuses to sit anywhere but floors or wood furniture.
...

Since she's now in your mother's house, I would recommend trying cotton towels instead of blankets. Cotton has less of a tendency to create static electricity when rubbed or when moving on it. It is possible that she has developed a 'phobia' regarding some of the blankets because maybe they were polyester-based, and created static mini-shocks for her when she moved around on them or moved away from them? A lot of blankets are polyester. I know my kitty's "push-purr" blankets are usually poly/ microfiber-based, and there is a huge static imbalance created when she does her "push-purring" on them with her paws, esp. in the dry winter-time. You can hear the loud static pops when she moves away from the blanket!

 

[Grace13Cats]

We have 18 cats in our sanctuary and they each have a king sized fleece blanket. Plus the indoor half is heated. I think you might be on to something here! I am sure they all experience static electricity but given Purr's temperament she could be frightened when the others don't give it a thought. Thank you!!!!!

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

You are welcome.