Cat response to parent illness?

[Rysiek]

I wonder what our cats make of our illness and the change in us because of this? I have been coughing a lot, my voice is croaky, I used campfore to ease my pain (which I stopped now as it was overstimulating him).
Rysiek seems to be suffering, spends a lot of time under the bed, does not come so often for cuddles and also attacked me on one occasion...Looks alert and scared in times...
Even when I try to talk to him in a comforting way, my voice is not the same and I may cough again...
I wonder how to assist him best apart from keeping his usual routine...?
What is unusual to him is me, unfortunately

 

[Alldara]

Some cats can become very nervous and scared when we are ill. It's normal to stay away because they don't want to catch our illness (they can't usually, but their instinct doesn't know that).

Other cats settle in to comfort us.

I'm not sure what campfore is. Is this a medical thing or a typo?

Is this the first time you've been sick since adopting Rysiek?

You might try encouraging him out with treats or with play.

 

[Rysiek]

Some cats can become very nervous and scared when we are ill. It's normal to stay away because they don't want to catch our illness (they can't usually, but their instinct doesn't know that).

Other cats settle in to comfort us.

I'm not sure what campfore is. Is this a medical thing or a typo?

Is this the first time you've been sick since adopting Rysiek?

You might try encouraging him out with treats or with play.

Camphor oil. I spelled this incorrectly. It has a very strong smell and I think it was overstimulating for him.

Yes, this is a first time I am so ill since adopting him...
Even when I had covid I did not cough so much...

Rysiek had some level of trauma when little and last year had been difficult for him with lots of appointments...he has a trigeminal neuralgia...

 

[Alldara]

You might want to get him a check at the vet. Camphor oil is toxic to cats: Camphor poisoning in pets: the trouble with topical pain or arthritis rubs. — River Landings Animal Clinic in Bradenton, Florida

if you had some residue on your hands that some how got to him (you touch something and then he rubs on it and cleaned himself later)...he could be feeling unwell himself which is causing the hiding. Hiding can be a sign of illness in cats.

I would want to be sure that he doesn't have a new issue. Ghost did give my wife a wide-birth when she was ill...almost as if he was social distancing from her, but he was still playing and not exactly hiding.

 

[tiggerwillow]

My Tigger gets very clingy and insecure when her meowmy isn't 100 percent (can't find the percent symbol on phone)

Willow also gets concerned if her meowmy sounds different, both my girlies are cuddlers when I not well, some cats get distant when their meowmy is not well, Ebony used to hide if her meowmy was unwell

 

[Rysiek]

You might want to get him a check at the vet. Camphor oil is toxic to cats: Camphor poisoning in pets: the trouble with topical pain or arthritis rubs. — River Landings Animal Clinic in Bradenton, Florida

if you had some residue on your hands that some how got to him (you touch something and then he rubs on it and cleaned himself later)...he could be feeling unwell himself which is causing the hiding. Hiding can be a sign of illness in cats.

I would want to be sure that he doesn't have a new issue. Ghost did give my wife a wide-birth when she was ill...almost as if he was social distancing from her, but he was still playing and not exactly hiding.

He has been much better today. I had a better night myself.

 

[artiemom]

Camphor oil. I spelled this incorrectly. It has a very strong smell and I think it was overstimulating for him.

Yes, this is a first time I am so ill since adopting him...
Even when I had covid I did not cough so much...

Rysiek had some level of trauma when little and last year had been difficult for him with lots of appointments...he has a trigeminal neuralgia...

I think it may be the camphor oil. Many fragrances/scents are harmful to cats. They run and hide from them....

When I am sick, Both Artie and now Geoffrey are constantly with me. Always on my lap. I have found, that when I cough, the cough frightened each one. What A and G did was jump down, wait until I finished coughing and then resume position on my lap.

 

[maggie101]

Whenever I am sick or upset about something my cats don't notice. It would help if they did

 

[Rysiek]

I think it may be the camphor oil. Many fragrances/scents are harmful to cats. They run and hide from them....

When I am sick, Both Artie and now Geoffrey are constantly with me. Always on my lap. I have found, that when I cough, the cough frightened each one. What A and G did was jump down, wait until I finished coughing and then resume position on my lap.

My cat deals with any discomfort or stress by hiding, so when I am unwell, he avoids me. But this is the way he is...

 

[Boris Diamond]

I'm not sick much, but when I had a broken leg, Boris slept right next to it every night for a month. He was not a frequent bed cat except for that. Also, if I was sad or down, he would stand up with his front paws on my leg and peer closely at me, as if to ask if I were OK. It helped! I miss that cat still.

 

[neely]

Carleton is very in tune to my feelings, e.g. he knows when I'm stressed, in a rush or excited. But I'm not sure if he realizes when I don't feel 100%. However, a previous cat that attached himself to our youngest daughter would be on her bed night and day if she was not well. We had him from a kitten so maybe that had something to do with it, I'm not sure.