Cat suddenly scared of everything?

[boldzie]

Hi - I see your last post was quite some time ago and I'm about to start a post about my cat with similar problems (bit a bit more severe due to a birth defect). How did your cat turn out?

 

[catspaw66]

Hi - I see your last post was quite some time ago and I'm about to start a post about my cat with similar problems (bit a bit more severe due to a birth defect). How did your cat turn out?

She has not posted or been on in the last 6 months.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

You could try to send the original poster a private message.  Some people have their settings to where they get emails for private messages.  Maybe she will see your question then and can come answer. 

 

[elizabeth093]

Oddly enough she suddenly started acting normal again, maybe there was just something wrong with where we were living? because when we moved into a new apartment she never had a problem again. it is really strange though because the last two homes we lived in she acted like that, but as soon as we moved into our current home she just stopped. I also got her on some high quality wet and dry food, around that time, as well so maybe thats what did the trick? i dont know but she seems to be better now so hopefully she doesnt start acting that way again.

 

[otto]

Diet certainly can make a difference, I'm glad she's doing better, thanks for the update.

 

[sywren]

I've read all the replies here, and am still confused. 

You all seem to have a lot of good advice but the search phrase I used to find this thread was "cat suddenly is afraid of everything". 

FHS symptoms are: 

• Rippling of the skin over the back
• Muscle spasms and twitching
• Twitching of the tail.
• Cats may exhibit strange behaviors in response to touching such as tail chasing, biting at the tail, flank and sides, to the point of self-directed aggression. They run, jump, hallucinate, vocalize, and even turn around and hiss.
• They may self-mutilate with extreme biting, licking, chewing, and plucking of the hair (sometimes called “barbering” or “fur mowing”). This behavior leads to hair loss and sometimes to severe skin lesions.

and Zoey seems to have none of that. 

I would be very interested to know if anyone has just the "afraid" symptom going on.  Zoey is a possibly 3-year old female, most likely neutered (the vet said most likely, since she hasn't had kittens).  She found me one morning in December after I'd seen her wandering around in the neighborhood for about 6 months, so I've only had her for 4 months. 

This behavior started about 3 days ago and hasn't gotten any better, but there is no panic or spasms or frantic running around... or any other of the above symptoms.  Just afraid.  Of doorways, my room, area rugs and corners.

Anyone out there who has had this happen, I would love to hear from you.

In the meantime, I will try a different diet.  Currently using Taste of the Wild food.

 

[hatte59]

Hi

I just saw your post here and I had also posted about 3months ago with the same problem.  I received some advice from a couple of people who have or had the same problem.  My Kitty is now almost normal, and it took about 3 months she still gets jumpy over sudden noises but she is so much better 

Heres what I did.

I took all of her toys, food, and litterbox and put it in my room and gradually I would try and coax her out of the room, with canned catfood.  It was sad because she would really want the food but was so frightened she would just sit on my bed and meow.  I would play with her in my room and try to get closer to the door each time.  I also got a diffuser that was called something like a calming diffuser ( they are a bit expensive) they sell them at Petsmart.  Anyway I just kept talking to her when I fed her and gradually she calmed down and now she is pretty much normal.  She is also 3 yrs old and I got her at the humane society,  just be patient with her and she should come out of it when she feels that she won't be hurt. 

I also used to bring her out into the living room and sit with her on my lap, she tolerated it but not for long but I would make her have to get herself back to the bedroom.  Sometimes I would give in and have to carry her,   lol

I feed her canned fancy feast  12 in the morning nd 1/2 at night.

Keep me posted with any questions you might have and I will do my best to let you know what I did.  I know all cats are different but I just tried things that other people had suggested and it seemed to have worked.  

good luck to you and your baby.

 

[sywren]

Wow, thanks for replying right away! 

I will coddle her and see what happens.  It's great to know your kitty got over it.

I wonder what the heck set them off like that.  She was normal and ordinary and this just hit out of the blue over nothing.  Zoey is our only animal and there've been no visitors, loud noises.  All has been quiet.  She stays under the sofa mostly, but I coaxed her into the bedroom where she used to lay on the bed with her favorite chase toy but she wouldn't stay.  At least she plays and eats.

But I will change her food.. maybe try some Fancy Feast!  She's been eating health food ever since I got her with a little milk now and then, so that'll be a real treat for her.

When she comes out of it  /fingers crossed  ..I'll reply here again and let you know.  /hugs!

 

[mycatwasthebest]

I would REALLY bring her to the vet. suddenly hiding out of nowhere could mean a physical ailment. she might have a bug or may have hurt herself somehow that you are not aware of.

 

[sywren]

I'll do that if she doesn't get all better in a few days.  She's slowly coming out of it, though.  Almost as though it was some kind of brain cloud, to quote a movie line. 

Thank you!

 

[hatte59]

You are very welcome, I know how you must be feeling because thats how "Kali" was too...I had her almost 3 wks before she all of a sudden freaked out.  I had a cat before her for 15 yrs who moved on to Rainbow Bridge 

 so I thought maybe she was smelling my other cats smell but never saw her so that made her scared, but now after reading all the other posts I see my cat does the same things as these other kitties do.

She isn't as scared as she was,  but she still has her crazy moments and now her new thing is just sitting in the middle of the front room and meowing at nothing .... weird!!

I haven't taken her to the Vet but maybe I should, although she seems very healthy and has had all her shots.

Well,  I hope your Zoey will be doing better, just talk to her a lot and give her lots of love,  keep us posted 

 

 

[suzy125]

My cat has just started exhibiting these same behaviors. I took her to the vet yesterday and she got shots for possible allergies and infections.She started the behavior again this morning. I called the vet back  today and this Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome came up as a possibility. Samantha is 1year 10mos and has never behaved this way. I hope this is temporary and not permanent condition. I do think this all started about a week ago when we were having a series of super thunderstorms that sent her running under the bed. She has always been a bit of a biter and that behavior seems to have disappeared. Now she is very docile and apprehensive. Today she came in and seemed like she wanted to cuddle, but then got spooked and slinked away. This is very disturbing to the cat and me.

 

[suzy125]

the most distressing is she is hiding in a drawer and returns to it as soon as she finishes eating. the hiding, I know, is usually a sign of an ailing cat. She was always my lap cat and followed me around the house. 

 

[mycatwasthebest]

One of the things that started my cat to decline was running full speed from the closet into a door she thought was going to be open when I turned on a vacuum cleaner. Are you sure she didn't hit her head on the bed or something else?

 

[hatte59]

Hi I saw your post and can totally relate to your concerns.  Since my cat was adopted from the Humane Society and this was a new home to her, even tho I had her about 3 wks before she started acting strange I was crushed, I had no idea what would cause her to react that way.  Some people suggested that I keep her in my room with all of her things like  her litter box, food, toys etc. and also someone suggested that I get  a calming diffuser, which is feremones of a mother cat or something that calms them, anyway I think that was what helped her because after about 3 wks in her own room with the diffuser she is now pretty normal. Of course what is normal in a cat, they are usually pretty crazy anyway,  She still has certain things that scare her but she gets over it pretty quick.  The whole time she had her room I would bring her out into the house and she would stay for awhile and want to go back,  but I would make her go back to the room by herself unless she was just too scared.

I have never had a cat that has done that, so I had no idea what to do.  I also played with her in her room, and talked to her a lot.  maybe that helps too.

I  hope Samantha comes around, I am sure she will..definetley try the diffuser

Good Luck

Harriet and Kali 

 

[suzy125]

Samantha is doing much better. Visits to the vet led to the following regimen. Anti-inflammatories (in case she had fallen and bruised something) antibiotic shot,Flagyl for something else and a treatment of Revolution for fleas.  Her anal glands were full and had a slight infection. This was not discovered until week 2. These were expressed and as she was still under the 2 week time limit for the antibiotic to work, no further antibiotics were administered. She is just about at the end of the inflammatory cycle. We did spend one whole day in bed together as she exhibited no bizarre symptoms of tail twitching or running like something was chasing her as long as we were sleeping/cuddleing. Whenever I saw her starting to freak out, I put her on my lap and would pet her body length and comb her with a rubber cat brush to distract her. 

Sometimes she will still attack her tail and crouch low and try to run away from it. But, she is no longer hiding in the drawer under the bed. Samantha is now back to watching TV with me, getting in the way of my typing on my computer and sleeping in the open in one of her favorite spots. I have also found that distracting her with toys (wands and such) redirects her attention. 

Because of the multiple treatments at one time, I do not know exactly what set off the "scared of everything" mode. It could have been allergies, infection or other unknown factors. She is 95% back to "normal". (Normal for a siamese anyway) 

 

[suzy125]

I can't rule out that she may have fallen or hit her head. She is not the most graceful siamese I have ever had. 

 

[noodlz]

My cat has the "scared" symptom only for the past 3 days. He was such a social cat and now he just hides. He has a fearful look and that wasn't the case before. We feed him non-grain food, but have been giving him kiitty snacks on a daily basis, which we are putting to a complete stop. Please let me know if the diet change has helped your cat.

 

[tango4]

Our cat, Tango, starting just 2 days ago, suddenly became afraid of just simple objects in our house. He freezes and stares at objects like my shoes, a pillow, his sleeping mat and a roll of paper. We are bewildered and concerned about this sudden onset of fear. It's interesting to read of this in other cats and am wondering if anyone has had any luck in detemining the cause and cure of this affliction.

 

[scruffy bj]

This happened to our boy kitty Scruffy, a couple of months ago. It all started one morning in bed, when my husband was doing the 'hand under the blanket' game. Out of no where, Scruffy jumped two feet into the air and instead of continuing in play, he became suddenly quite fearful and extremely hesitant about everything.
He would go around batting at things that are common to him, even becoming fearful of his food dish and litter box. At one point, he peed on my couch and pooped next to it.
We wondered if he had developed a fear our new exercise machine (which had not bothered him in the beginning). He became fearful of the laundry room, where his litter box was and the elliptical..then we wondered if the washer or dryer had spooked him, or even his own shadow...
We moved his litter box from the basement to the kitchen, because he got to a point that he would not go downstairs!
We took him to the vet and we got some feliway diffusers and calming treats. Vet also gave us a 'milk supplement' to add to his food & help with things.
Our Scruffy has been to the vet too many times in the 6 months that we have had him, for various issues. All behavioral related and the vet,I find, are not helpful in these cases. They are trained to treat 'basic health issues'. Anything after that, such as nutrition, and excessive behavioral issues is beyond their scope. I'm finding that I am getting more information from the internet and forums like this.
After another visit to the vet and grabbing some more feliway, Scruffy went through a three week period where he seemed to be improving.....then boom! Two days ago, out of nowhere, he had regressed back into his state of fearfulness 100%.
I am so heartbroken over this. I so love my boy and to see him like this,makes me cry.
Scruffy is a ginger rescue kitty from our local Humane Society.He is the most loveable cat I've had. I think I have have four years out of fourty-five, where I have not shared the same space with a cat. This little guy has me wrapped around all four paws..and his stubby little tail. I am constantly rewarded with cuddles, kisses and headbutts.. He us unbelievably endearing for a cat & I adore him to no end. I can't have my own children, so he has filled a huge void for me and is most definitely my 'fur' baby. I want to see him through this and help him regain his full normal self back.
Generally he is a healthy eater. I feed him premium wet with minimal dry (Merrick's), but he needs a lot of coaxing these last two days...
Thank you to all experiencing the same and sharing what you have learned. I will be taking this info and applying it to Scruffy's situation to try and get it under control.

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• scruffy bj
• Jun 6, 2015

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• scruffy bj
• Jun 6, 2015