Cat suddenly afraid of my hands

vardnas

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I have a 15-yr old cat who I adopted from her previous owners about a year ago. She is generally very sweet in disposition, always wanting to be in the same room as me, and a big fan of lap time and things like head scritches. The only time she gets at all feisty is when I accidentally touch her on a certain part of her back. She's old and has some arthritis, and I suspect she may have it in the spinal area as well, but I try to avoid that area altogether when interacting with her, though occasionally I'll absentmindedly stroke her there and she will give me a warning swipe/bite before running away.

Lately, in the last few days, she's become afraid of my hands, and 90% of the time when I raise them to pet her, she'll run away in fear. She'll sometimes submit to a stroke along the cheek, but sometimes she'll smell my hand and back away, or stare at my hand, even if I'm keeping it still, and then run away. She's not afraid to be near me otherwise, and she definitely acts like she wants to be near me -- for instance, she'll sit at the end of my bed and meow, but when I call her over she doesn't come. Or if she does hop up on the bed, she'll stay for a few moments and then run off again scared.

I have no idea what could've happened to make her feel this way all of sudden. I am always very gentle with her, speak sweetly, and generally let her come to me for interaction. It's really bumming me out that she's acting this way and I'm not sure how to make it better. I've tried feeding her treats from my hands, and she'll gladly take them, but as soon as I go in for pets, she bolts. She herself seems a bit confused, like she'll cry for attention, but if I go towards her, she leaves.

Does anyone have any insight here?
 

tiggerwillow

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Does she go outside? It's possible that something's happened to her that has left her hand-shy?
 
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vardnas

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No, she's indoor only. I work from home mostly, but come and go from the apartment for occasional in-office days or socializing. It's just the two of us here.
 

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Hi! Fellow newbie here. This sudden change may mean she’s in pain. It’s wise to make a vet appointment and keep an eye on her behavior and toilet/eating/drinking habits.
 

tiggerwillow

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She maybe associates getting touched with pain? My Ebony's boyfriend Tom would bite hands that petted him, he was in pain from serious stuff going on in his spine, which the rescue had assumed it was arthritis, it proved to actually be his spine twisting and crushing itself so the poor boy was in agony, it doesn't sound like you girl is in as much pain as Tom was, but it might be worth getting the vet to check her over again to see where it's hurting?

The other thing I can think of, is how was she treated by her previous humans? My Ebony was hand-shy, nobody could touch her tummy - not even the vet (not until the cancer was eating away inside her tummy area, by that point it had got into her lungs, that was the first time she allowed her tummy to get touched)
 
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vardnas

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Hi! Fellow newbie here. This sudden change may mean she’s in pain. It’s wise to make a vet appointment and keep an eye on her behavior and toilet/eating/drinking habits.
I've been wondering the same, actually. Given her age, it wouldn't be too strange of her to develop new health concerns. It is about time for her annual check up, anyway, so it may be a good idea to get in a bit earlier.
 

KittenHuffer

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I've been wondering the same, actually. Given her age, it wouldn't be too strange of her to develop new health concerns. It is about time for her annual check up, anyway, so it may be a good idea to get in a bit earlier.
If it were me, I’d take their soonest appointment. Not an emergency but could become one. This sudden change I think calls for soonest-available non-emergency appointment.
 
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vardnas

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She maybe associates getting touched with pain? My Ebony's boyfriend Tom would bite hands that petted him, he was in pain from serious stuff going on in his spine, which the rescue had assumed it was arthritis, it proved to actually be his spine twisting and crushing itself so the poor boy was in agony, it doesn't sound like you girl is in as much pain as Tom was, but it might be worth getting the vet to check her over again to see where it's hurting?

The other thing I can think of, is how was she treated by her previous humans? My Ebony was hand-shy, nobody could touch her tummy - not even the vet (not until the cancer was eating away inside her tummy area, by that point it had got into her lungs, that was the first time she allowed her tummy to get touched)
Her previous owners were great with her. They're a couple, and the woman had had her since she was a kitten, so they were quite close. She's been fully fine with pets from me the entire time I've had her, just recently has this become a problem.
 

tiggerwillow

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Her previous owners were great with her. They're a couple, and the woman had had her since she was a kitten, so they were quite close. She's been fully fine with pets from me the entire time I've had her, just recently has this become a problem.
It's very likely pain then, best to get her checked by the vet <3
 

Mac and Cats

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It sounds like she might be in pain. It sounds like it could be arthritis. Does she have trouble getting up/down from places, walking, grooming, etc? My 13 year old cat with pretty bad arthritis in her back had the same issue with not wanting to be pet down her back and would never allow us to pet her on her back. If we tried it, she would allow it once and then give us a warning. We did an X-ray and the vet confirmed she has arthritis and some sort of "hump" in her spine that she has probably had her whole life. If your vet can confirm she has arthritis and you are able, I would highly recommend trying the monthly Solensia injection.

We tried medication with our girl for awhile before Solensia was available here, but she was not having it. So, I ended up stopping. After several months to a year, it became very clear that she was not feeling great -- not grooming very much, not sleeping anywhere except for her beds on the floor, barely moving from her bed and only moving to use the litter box, eat and drink. I suspected it was due to her arthritis. I mentioned it at her next vet appointment and they let me know that the Solensia monthly injection was now available in the US. We started her on it that day, plus Gabapentin twice daily. She is on her 3rd injection and it has totally turned her life around. She's now out and about a lot more often, enjoying pets (even along her back) and jumping to places she had previously abandoned. She's looking a lot better and seems to be feeling a ton better.

Are you able to bring your gal in for a vet visit soon? They may want to do an X-ray.
 

cmshap

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This definitely sounds pain-related.

I started another thread about my cat who is probably developing arthritis. Having pain may be the reason for noticeable changes in his play activity.

I know that's not as serious of a situation as yours, but just adding my opinion to this thread that pain can change a cat's behavior.

Also, their memories are forever. If one thing happened, once, that scares a cat or puts them in a moment of pain, they will remember it for a long time.
 

susanm9006

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Perhaps you have thought about this but is there any chance that you have changed any soap or lotion that you use, or are eating something like oranges that she may not like the scent of?
 

cmshap

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Perhaps you have thought about this but is there any chance that you have changed any soap or lotion that you use, or are eating something like oranges that she may not like the scent of?
Probably not a cause of fear, but definitely a point worth considering.

I have to use lotion in winter on my hands due to dry skin. And my cat doesn't like the scent of the lotion that works best for me.

There's no fear though. He just jumps off my lap and lays down on the couch next to me instead of sleeping on my lap.
 
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