Cat Scared Of Me All The Sudden! Why?

[Lya]

I have four cats, they’ve lived here for a long time, the youngest one has been here for 5 Yrs. She is very close to me and always have since she got home, but is afraid of pretty much everyone else, including the cats. Since yesterday, she was acting a little weird; she sleeps in my bed and is on it pretty much all the time, but at night she didn’t really sleep here and today she was away the whole day. Before sleeping myself, (a few hours ago), I noticed her being away just staring at me, so I picked her up and brought her over but she escaped instantly. After that, I tried to catch her again but she ran away from me! This seemed super weird, so after a while I decided to try again, coming to bed real slow. Once we were close to bed, she started getting nervous and then she peed! She only does this whenever I put her in a carrier for the vet or when she is very veryyy afraid of something. Nothing happened, so this is super random and weird. I’m not sure if she’s afraid of the bed or me, or what! Any ideas?

Thank you all!

 

[catsknowme]

Poor kitty! it sounds like something has happened when she was on the bed, either directly to her or while she was on it. Was anyone nearby lighting off fireworks the other night? These mysteries often require great determination and detective work; while challenging, reinforcing kitty's confidence can be so rewarding!
Furballsmom will hopefully chime in soon with excellent ideas on how to address this situation.
My recommendation is to clean the bedding to get rid of any scent that could be associated with any traumatic event, whether it was a loud noise outside or something like another cat stalking her or you accidentally pushed on her tail, etc. I would add confidence building such as allogrooming and learning basic tricks for treats & lots of praise. I would also offer her a cave-like retreat to re-establish a "base camp", that is not under the bed nor behind furniture, so she can gradually expand territory as she regains trust & confidence.
Please keep us updated!

 

[Lya]

Poor kitty! it sounds like something has happened when she was on the bed, either directly to her or while she was on it. Was anyone nearby lighting off fireworks the other night? These mysteries often require great determination and detective work; while challenging, reinforcing kitty's confidence can be so rewarding!
Furballsmom will hopefully chime in soon with excellent ideas on how to address this situation.
My recommendation is to clean the bedding to get rid of any scent that could be associated with any traumatic event, whether it was a loud noise outside or something like another cat stalking her or you accidentally pushed on her tail, etc. I would add confidence building such as allogrooming and learning basic tricks for treats & lots of praise. I would also offer her a cave-like retreat to re-establish a "base camp", that is not under the bed nor behind furniture, so she can gradually expand territory as she regains trust & confidence.
Please keep us updated!

Thanks for your answer! Already changed everything on the bed, but she won’t come near. But more strange things happened, afterwards she was very sociable, pretty much asking to petted, rollong on the floor and almost acting like she was in heat, which is strange since she was neutered at around 7 months (now almost 6 yo). There are a few cats around the house, but she had never reacted to it. She’s eatingn very little and drank lots of water. Nothing happened nearby, since I was here pretty much all day this is very random! Now she’s outside the bedroom, but it’s like she’s trying every way to go out, (near windows and doors) which is stranger since she rarely leaves my bedromm and bathroom, were her litter box also is.

I wonder what the hell could be happening! Could she be ill?! Taking her to the vet is extremely stressful for her so I would want to do it if extremely necessary

 

[catsknowme]

She could be having a urinary tract problem or other painful illness. While there are over-the-counter products that you could try, it won't help if there is a blockage so extremely close monitoring is called for. (Homeopet makes a product called Feline UTI relief) . I do understand the "vet trip blues" & the resulting "freak out" that can make it nearly impossible to medicate the patient afterwards
It seems that she is either ill or afraid of something in the house. To prevent escape, can you try enclosing her in a smaller room or a large, covered dog crate?
The not eating is another concern. You could rub some Nutrical paste onto her gums. At the very least, white corn syrup or honey on her gums plus a 50/50 water & unflavored Pedialyte solution is probably called for.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Thanks catsknowme
I agree, the not eating, and drinking a lot is concerning.
If it were me, I'd get her in to see the vet.
Can you try a calming product for her? There are calming sprays that you could use in the carrier also that could help her be a little more relaxed.

At home, try music, there's Musicforcats . com (Relax My Cat has ads but could be good), and definitely don't force her to go to the bed.
She will need time to realize that the scary thing isn't happening again.

It's possible that the stress from the fright she experienced is causing physical issues, and if you and the vet catch it early, she'll be the better for it.

One other thought for her confidence, play with her as much as you can, and also try and give her ways to get up high, with shelves or a couple cat trees.

 

[Kflowers]

I would definately take her to the vet. It's a quick way to check for the most likely problems.

Are the others still spraying?

when the renovations were done, did the workers dig up the basement? leave soft dirt around the house? I'd check to see if something has been burrowing in near your bedroom walls.

I'd also flip the mattress and check the springs to be certain nothing moved inside them. Springs are heavy, you may want to check them by turning them on their side and not flipping completely over.

 

[Lya]

Hi everyone, thanks for the reply. I changed everything and cleaned the bedroom to avoid any possible lingering scent and got an appointment on the vet for tomorrow. She peed, ate and drank as usual, but still acting really strange, walking around and sitting in random places and grooming herself. Another interesting fact, she selpt under the covers from around 11 am to 5 pm, definitely weird but I’m guessing to make up for not sleeping at all last night! I also notice her extra jumpy whenever she hears or sees anything or any of the other cats; I don’t remember if I said this before but she’s extremly shy, I’m used to her being jumpy but this is worst!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, definitely try some music for her