Extreme Behavioral Change - HELP

[panthersmom]

Our cat, Panther, recently went MIA for 3 days. We found him hiding under the bed smelling terrible and acting out of character. He's usually a friendly, talkative cat that comes when called. He wouldn't come out even for food and took forever to shoo out. He timidly ate and kept himself low to the ground, but refused water despite smacking his mouth from it being dry from dehydration. After eating a bit, he peed a lot on a rug (always been a litterbox cat). Pee was normal. No poo under bed, a bit of pee though.

We took him to the emergency animal hospital where they told us there was nothing wrong with him.  He had no injuries, his heart and lungs sounded fine, his bowels were also good, no temperature, no palpable knots or sore spots. We opted to get him some IV fluids since he'd been without water for days and may have gotten dehydrated. Now for the last 2 days, he's hidden in our basement from us, ate but not visibly drank, and acted generally sketched out. He has pooped and peed on the floor. 

Panther is 7 years old, normal weight, no health conditions, is up to date on all his shots, including rabies, and hadn't been outside or in the basement since well before this started. The night prior to his disappearance, he was on the sofa being rubbed and purring. No changes were made in the house, no new animals in the neighborhood.

Anyone's previous experience, knowledge, or guesses are much appreciated! We've attempted to take him to his regular vet, but cannot catch him. 

 

[jiskefet]

Sounds like he was spooked by something.

Weeing in inappropriate places usually signifies stress, which may lead to cystitis.

He may have seen or heard something that scared him out of his wits, but it may just as well have been something inside his body. He may even have had some kind of epileptic fit or minor brain hemorrhage. That would spook a cat really badly...

I would recommend a further examination by the vet, if you can catch him.

 

[pushylady]

I confused - did he get out of the house and go missing for three days? Or something freaked him out inside the house and he hid under the bed?
Obviously something has spooked him really badly. poor guy. I'm glad he's not injured, but figuring out what's going on emotionally could be difficult.

 

[puddykat]

First off is he a inside cat? You said you found him under the bed.  When cats get spooked or attacked they can hide for a very long time, you said there were no injuries. Emotinal injuries do not show up with a visit to the vet. If he was spooked by a person another stranger would be the last thing I would expose him too. 

What happens when you try to hold him? Does he run away? If you take him upstairs does he run right back downstairs? Something or someone has done something to him that has him all out of wack. Cats that are used to the litterbox do not usually change their bathroom location unless there has been major trauma. What was his nature prior to his mia? Does he look at you at all? When he speaks how is his voice? Louder - softer - weaker. All this can tell you what is wrong? He maybe telling you but in cat language. REmember that cats only meow because of the humans around them - what we call domestic cats when left in the wild do not meow they use body language and their keen sense of smell and eyesight among other things to communicate with other cats.

 

[panthersmom]

jiskefet- I was thinking an epileptic episode too. Something like that would be scary and potentially mess up Panther's brain chemistry.

pushylady- He didn't get out of the house, so whatever happened to him happened inside. We had assumed his absence was due to him getting out and running off since he always comes if called inside or out

puddycat- He is an inside/outside cat. Most nights he is inside, then in the morning he'll meow and meow for someone to follow him to the door and open it for him. After a few hours of playing outside, Panther shows up, scratches and meows at the door to be let in. He'll go in and out multiple times daily- he also frequents the basement. In the past while in his right state of mind, no matter where he was, he'd meow and run to you if called. Very talkative cat that loves to be petted and purrs very loudly. Now, he is hiding in the basement and does not answer us. When we track him down and make eye contact with him, he will give us a few meows in his normal tone and even purr, but will not come out of his hiding place- if we attempt to pick him up, pet him, or get close, he hisses and darts off to another hiding place. Panther has been seen laying, sitting, and standing in this hiding place. He stays low to the ground and has the general spooked facial expression while darting.  He still making the usual soft  eye contact, but it becomes less frequent when you're trying to engage with him after a few minutes.

Thanks everyone for your replies!

 

[purrsngrrs]

Its a very strange and disturbing behavioral change. I am sure that either your cat has seen something weird around. Try not to leave your cat alone and also try to soothe her. Hopefully she feels better. Also try to give warm milk with honey. It helps to reduce stress.

 

[panthersmom]

I wanted to update Panther's status so if anyone else in the future finds this thread it may help their cat who is having the same symptoms.

We finally caught him and went to the vet. Bloodwork was perfect. Despite some hissing and escape attempts, he didn't bite or scratch at anyone. The vet believes Panther was scared out of his wits by something. He said this was not uncommon and is typically seen after a cat has a bad encounter with a dog, coyote, or other cat. The lady at the front desk corroborated this theory when she shared her cat does the same thing every few months after getting a look at the neighbor's cat.

The vet gave us a Feliway diffuser. It has kitty pheromones that can help them relax. We plugged it in nearby his hiding place and decided we'll let him come out on his own. In the meantime, he is getting all his favorite wet foods delivered to him and has a comfy new blanket. I'll be sure to update in a few days.