Extremely anxious cat advice

profcat

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My cat Fox (Foxy Loxy lol) is 6 and has always been extremely shy and skittish. Like if someone comes to visit, he hides and then remains hidden for HOURS after they're gone. When my Mom visited and stayed for a weekend he did not eat for a whole day bc he was too scared to come out. Then he'd only eat in the bedroom under the bed. Any little thing sets him off. Otherwise, he's happy and healthy. We use feliway etc. to keep everyone calm. He is also a very picky eater.

The other day he caught a mouse. Every year about this time we have a mouse or two that wanders in as it gets colder. It's an older home and no way to keep them out. Well, this time he was the cat who caught it but let it go and it scurried away. The next day he did not come out for dinner and I found him under the sink mouse-hunter (they come in under there). I pulled him out bc I was worried he was stuck (his head was behind the back of the dishwasher) and when I did that I really scared him. He scampered away from me, terrified. He did come out and ask for food after a few hours and ate normally.

Now when I go to feed him wet food he backs away from me like he's scared. He ate last night for my spouse, but would only eat dry and not wet (sometimes he's very picky). This morning he ate more dry food, but wouldn't come out from under the dresser for breakfast. He acted so afraid when he saw me. I feel terrible.

I worry that his weird appetite is related to not feeling well (a bad tooth or something) but then it seems like he would want wet and not dry food if that was the case. But given that he's had a couple of crazy events the last few days (the mouse, and me pulling him out from under the sink) it's possible he's just traumatized and afraid.

Has anyone dealt with such a little scaredy cat before?
 

Furballsmom

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Hi
I saw your thread earlier and have been thinking about it. There may be something in these articles I'm linking for you below to help, and you do want to consider getting him in for a vet visit. If he does have a bad tooth, it could be painful and that can make a cat behave in ways that they might not otherwise.

By the way, something similar happened to my partner in the early days with my angel boy Poppy. He'd tucked himself behind some wood panels in the woodshop part of the basement and my partner became concerned and proceeded to get him out. There was the same fearful reaction from Poppy, but they then became close friends in a short while.

Be sure to ask the vet if they can provide you with something prior to the appointment to help him to be less stressed.

14 Cat Experts Reveal: How To Get A Cat To Like Me – TheCatSite Articles

10 Must-know Tips For Happy Living With A Shy Cat – TheCatSite Articles
 
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profcat

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I think we're going to bring him and his sister in tomorrow. They are both super skittish but neither of them have a great appetite (eating a little, but not full meals) and they've had teeth problems in the past. I have more anxiety than they do about catching them, though, to bring them to the vet! Wish us luck tomorrow!
 

louisstools

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My 10 year old girl cat is skittish and anxious like your Foxy. She's gotten better over the years. She's no longer scared of rain or fireworks. And she comes out when a stranger leaves pretty quickly now. I think they can get less skittish but they'll always have a high baseline fright level.

Best of luck at the vet!
 
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profcat

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How are things going?
We tried to get him to take him to the vet, and he freaked out and would not let us near him-- he is such a scaredy cat. Because he was still eating only snacks of dry food (he was not coming out for meals), we decided to wait and see. A few days later he decided to show up and eat a meal! And now he's eating normally again!
 
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