Frightened Adopted Cat- Help...

[Tobermory]

So weird.. Do 3 year old cats chase their tails? I thought that was a kitten behavior.

My 14-year-old quirky calico, Iris, sometimes chases her tail. When she does, she’s usually in one of the “circles” on the cat tree.

 

[Furballsmom]

I found this for you...
Why Does My Cat Chase Its Own Tail?

 

[tarasgirl06]

I would call that progress, artiemom ! Excellent -- keep up the great work!
And yes, as other posters have said, adult cats can and do chase their own tails, sometimes out of boredom, sometimes out of frustration, and sometimes, I'm sure, just out of playfulness. If they bite their tails, though, and it is a habit, that is part of what's called feline hyperesthesia, and that can be a problem if the cat hurts him-or-herself. I believe 1 bruce 1 has a cat with this behavioral pattern. I hope Geoffrey doesn't -- hopefully it is not a habit and he is not actually chewing on his tail.

 

[duncanmac]

Two things:

Handling workmen in the house: My one guy hides under the bed as soon as the doorbell rings. When we have workers in the house, he stays there until/unless they are working in the bedroom (house cleaners mostly, but others too). Try to have the window guys either start or finish in the bedroom, and keep the door closed until they have to be in that room

Night time cuddler: Again, I have two cats who will come for pets and cuddling at any time and one shy guy who works on his terms. What I have found is that the shy one is much more conducive to pets and interaction at night. I sleep like cr@p, so often I'm up at 1, 2, 3 in the morning so I'll go to a couple of his spots and pet him for a few minutes and he is totally fine with it

 

[artiemom]

If they bite their tails, though, and it is a habit, that is part of what's called feline hyperesthesia, and that can be a problem if the cat hurts him-or-herself. I believe 1 bruce 1 has a cat with this behavioral pattern. I hope Geoffrey doesn't -- hopefully it is not a habit and he is not actually chewing on his tail.

Geoffrey was actually biting his tail.. on both cat tree levels.. He was grunting as he bit.. it was very strange..

Not going to get panicked yet.. but it was strange.

He also tried to climb the wall, staring at the wall, crying...

I still wonder if he has some brain damage...

 

[tarasgirl06]

Geoffrey was actually biting his tail.. on both cat tree levels.. He was grunting as he bit.. it was very strange..

Not going to get panicked yet.. but it was strange.

He also tried to climb the wall, staring at the wall, crying...

I still wonder if he has some brain damage...

That could very well be feline hyperesthesia. You might want to talk with 1 bruce 1 about his cat and their experiences, and also discuss these episodes with Geoffrey's vet next time you talk. I wouldn't necessarily panic, but I would definitely be aware, as I know you are, and try to reassure him, using whatever you know he likes or accepts at this stage.

 

[Furballsmom]

If you can get a video of both things, I find that can help a lot when talking with a vet

 

[1 bruce 1]

If you can get a video of both things, I find that can help a lot when talking with a vet

We did this.
He had a very minor episode and wife got a video, which was a minute or two of this cat staring at nothing, eyes dilated, looking extremely pissed. His ears were slanted back (not really pinned. But the staring into a void without really focusing on much but keeping his ears back told me loud and clear he was paying 100% attention to something BEHIND him, the ripply feeling he was having. If you're on a good horse, you'll notice their ears are 99% of the time slightly back towards you because they're "listening" and paying attention.) A few times in his video, this cat would suddenly spin around around and slam his tail with his claws with a loud yell, twice.
artiemom I wouldn't panic if it is FH. It's irritating but it can be helped, even with things like distractions sometimes work.
For our guy, we have noticed things that set him off...
-stress or strife (other cats getting into it or bickering)
-repetitive loud noises (roofing, construction, thunderstorms, fireworks, he hates 'em all). If it storms around dinner time, I can guarantee you he won't eat until an hour or so after the storm has passed.
-hunger (if he gets hungry, he usually gets frustrated and starts in a little.)
IF he starts acting funky, sometimes a snack or just distracting him with a toy or petting stops it. Sometimes it doesn't, and when it doesn't he will calm down 99.9% of the time almost immediately if we put him in a dark, familiar place (unlit bedroom, bathroom he's used to, etc. Just make sure he's comfortable with this room, and make sure it's as dark and quiet as possible.) When we leave him alone like this for 15-20 minutes, he's all sweetness and normal again. If he's having the very rare very bad episode sometimes it takes him about an hour to fully chill out again, but the biting and things pretty much stop. This might work for Geoffrey or not, but it might be something to try next time he starts acting like this.
Hope this helps you out a little.

 

[tarasgirl06]

We did this.
He had a very minor episode and wife got a video, which was a minute or two of this cat staring at nothing, eyes dilated, looking extremely pissed. His ears were slanted back (not really pinned. But the staring into a void without really focusing on much but keeping his ears back told me loud and clear he was paying 100% attention to something BEHIND him, the ripply feeling he was having. If you're on a good horse, you'll notice their ears are 99% of the time slightly back towards you because they're "listening" and paying attention.) A few times in his video, this cat would suddenly spin around around and slam his tail with his claws with a loud yell, twice.
artiemom I wouldn't panic if it is FH. It's irritating but it can be helped, even with things like distractions sometimes work.
For our guy, we have noticed things that set him off...
-stress or strife (other cats getting into it or bickering)
-repetitive loud noises (roofing, construction, thunderstorms, fireworks, he hates 'em all). If it storms around dinner time, I can guarantee you he won't eat until an hour or so after the storm has passed.
-hunger (if he gets hungry, he usually gets frustrated and starts in a little.)
IF he starts acting funky, sometimes a snack or just distracting him with a toy or petting stops it. Sometimes it doesn't, and when it doesn't he will calm down 99.9% of the time almost immediately if we put him in a dark, familiar place (unlit bedroom, bathroom he's used to, etc. Just make sure he's comfortable with this room, and make sure it's as dark and quiet as possible.) When we leave him alone like this for 15-20 minutes, he's all sweetness and normal again. If he's having the very rare very bad episode sometimes it takes him about an hour to fully chill out again, but the biting and things pretty much stop. This might work for Geoffrey or not, but it might be something to try next time he starts acting like this.
Hope this helps you out a little.

TYSM, 1 bruce 1 . Sure appreciate your sharing this with artiemom and Geoffrey.

 

[1 bruce 1]

TYSM, 1 bruce 1 . Sure appreciate your sharing this with artiemom and Geoffrey.

Happy to help, IF it helps of course.
artiemom has had plenty of issues in the past and I just want her and Geoffrey to have the best life possible.
It might not be FH but if it is, it sounds scarier than it is. Our boy has bloodied his tail before, but he's never needed stitches or anything like that.
(I forgot to add that another factor in controlling outbursts and episodes for our boy WAS diet, and that's controversial and blah blah but some cats do respond to this, so that might be another thing to consider.)

 

[Antonio65]

So weird.. Do 3 year old cats chase their tails? I thought that was a kitten behavior.

My cat Pallina had been doing this all her life. Well, until she was still feeling well...

He also tried to climb the wall, staring at the wall, crying...

This is what all foster kittens I have had at home lately have done! Don't know.
I think they see some tiny reflections, or very tiny insects on the walls.
Or they hear some faint noise inside the cavities of the walls.

We did this.
He had a very minor episode and wife got a video, which was a minute or two of this cat staring at nothing, eyes dilated, looking extremely pissed.

About this, we had a scary episode in our home several years ago, both our cats woke up from their nap on the couch. They woke up simultaneously, and nothing was happening in the room. I was reading at the table, the TV was off, it was 11 pm.
When they both woke up, they both stared at the same point on the wall across the room, a point on the wall where there's nothing on.
Then they both stood on their hind legs, like two groundhogs in the alert position, always simultaneously.
And again, in the same moment, they both had their eyes wide open, wide pupils, ears pointing forward and both had their tails bristled!
They stayed like this for at least one minute.
Then, again simultaneously, they got relaxed and back to napping...

What was that?

 

[tarasgirl06]

My cat Pallina had been doing this all her life. Well, until she was still feeling well...



This is what all foster kittens I have had at home lately have done! Don't know.
I think they see some tiny reflections, or very tiny insects on the walls.
Or they hear some faint noise inside the cavities of the walls.



About this, we had a scary episode in our home several years ago, both our cats woke up from their nap on the couch. They woke up simultaneously, and nothing was happening in the room. I was reading at the table, the TV was off, it was 11 pm.
When they both woke up, they both stared at the same point on the wall across the room, a point on the wall where there's nothing on.
Then they both stood on their hind legs, like two groundhogs in the alert position, always simultaneously.
And again, in the same moment, they both had their eyes wide open, wide pupils, ears pointing forward and both had their tails bristled!
They stayed like this for at least one minute.
Then, again simultaneously, they got relaxed and back to napping...

What was that?

Well, I don't know, Antonio65 , but that would kind of scare me, and I'm not easily scared these days. Cats are far more intuitive than humans, and they see and feel things we cannot.

 

[artiemom]

Artie used to just stare into space. That spooked out one of my friends, every time she saw it happen.. just stare.. and then he was ok.. Suzie was so spooked...

 

[tarasgirl06]

Artie used to just stare into space. That spooked out one of my friends, every time she saw it happen.. just stare.. and then he was ok.. Suzie was so spooked...

How is Sir Geoffrey doing today? Any changes and/or improvements? *PRAYERS* and best thoughts for him and you, too!

 

[artiemom]

Geoffrey: I think a slight positive...
Last night, I was on the couch, he jumped on his cat tree, had the drapes open a bit. G likes to look at the nighttime lights, and view.

He was peaceful.. really peaceful..so peaceful that he was sleeping on the top rung of the cat tree.. I was so happy..

We had a great play session in my bedroom, last night, before... It was at least 40 minutes of me lying on the bed, using the Go Catcher mouse wand..This seems to be his favorite toy.. He was great.. chasing, hiding, etc...I was exhausted, so I was lying down on the bed...

He cuddled during sleep time..

Was waking me at 2:30-3AM.. until 5am.. I ignored him.. Finally got up around 7am..

He was not happy, hiding under my bed.. The sun was coming up.. then he turned back to "Vampire Cat"; and went under my bed..

I had to feed him under the bed. I am not going to make a habit of this.. no way..

Then I fed him 5 Dental Greenies.. figure it is good for his teeth. He loves the Tuna flavor.

I wanted Christmas. I turned up the Christmas music, lit a candle, for only 30 minutes while I was making myself a salad..

G either did not like the music, the Yankee Candle scent, or the smells of the fresh veggies for salad..

He came out, up to me in the kitchen, several times... talking to me.. then back to under my dresser-- several times..

Finally left.. returned.. made a long phone call with Comcast, in my bedroom. Geoffrey came out!!! and it was not even 2pm!!! and we were playing with the mousey wand while I was on hold..

In and out of his safe spots today.. wandering around.. His food is not a favorite.. so he has been wandering around the apartment!!!

Now, he decided to lower himself, and nibble on the wet food and some dry.. and went back to under my bed...

I am taking this as a huge Positive...
fingers crossed....

 

[rubysmama]

I'm thinking huge positive too.

Just wondering... what would he do if you closed your bedroom door so he couldn't get under the bed or dresser? Does he have other hiding places around the apartment?

Oh...did the window people come yesterday?

 

[1 bruce 1]

My cat Pallina had been doing this all her life. Well, until she was still feeling well...



This is what all foster kittens I have had at home lately have done! Don't know.
I think they see some tiny reflections, or very tiny insects on the walls.
Or they hear some faint noise inside the cavities of the walls.



About this, we had a scary episode in our home several years ago, both our cats woke up from their nap on the couch. They woke up simultaneously, and nothing was happening in the room. I was reading at the table, the TV was off, it was 11 pm.
When they both woke up, they both stared at the same point on the wall across the room, a point on the wall where there's nothing on.
Then they both stood on their hind legs, like two groundhogs in the alert position, always simultaneously.
And again, in the same moment, they both had their eyes wide open, wide pupils, ears pointing forward and both had their tails bristled!
They stayed like this for at least one minute.
Then, again simultaneously, they got relaxed and back to napping...

What was that?

Antonio65 that's very VERY strange!
On the night that one of our close (human) friends died, a few of our dogs stood quietly in the middle of the room, watching the same spot on the wall (up near the ceiling). At the same time, they moved their heads and eyes like they were following something that was moving slowly. One even went to the wall and put his feet up on it. While this was happening, tails would all go up at the same time and wag...then slowly stop wagging and droop down. That was a very weird happening. It was very cool and kind of a comfort, but a little part of me had to duct tape my skin onto my body to keep it from leaping off.
On the anniversary of a family members death, one of the cats got up on the top of the fridge (she's NEVER done that) and calmly tucked her paws underneath her, settled in, and stared at a spot above her. She wasn't freaked, she was very relaxed, blinking, eyes soft, purring, but watching that spot. I got her down thinking she'd gotten up there and didn't know how to get down, and 2 minutes later she was there again and stayed there til after we went to bed...that's been a lot of years, and she hasn't done it again! (Maybe a mouse, but she isn't always our top choice for pest control and the others surely would have heard if she was hearing something?)

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Geoffrey: I think a slight positive...

He was peaceful.. really peaceful..so peaceful that he was sleeping on the top rung of the cat tree.. I was so happy..

We had a great play session in my bedroom, last night, before...
He cuddled during sleep time..

He came out, up to me in the kitchen, several times... talking to me.. then back to under my dresser-- several times..

... Geoffrey came out!!! and it was not even 2pm!!! and we were playing with the mousey wand while I was on hold..
...

I am taking this as a huge Positive...
fingers crossed....

That's great news!

...
He came out, up to me in the kitchen, several times... talking to me.. then back to under my dresser-- several times..
...
In and out of his safe spots today.. wandering around.. His food is not a favorite.. so he has been wandering around the apartment!!!

Now, he decided to lower himself, and nibble on the wet food and some dry.. and went back to under my bed...

...
Just wondering... what would he do if you closed your bedroom door so he couldn't get under the bed or dresser? Does he have other hiding places around the apartment? ...

I think it's a good stage to still let him have the safe spots that he likes since he is used to them, under the bed and under the dresser. They are like lily pads of safety for him, as he gains more confidence. He can step out and explore, then go back again. I think if you take them away, he could go back to a frightened "square one" of feeling like there are no places of initial safety as he gets used to his new digs and new owner.
Just my two cents!

I have let my kitties have hidey places all of their lives, just ones that I can get them out of easily just in case I need to get them to the vet or whatnot. Tunnels and boxes are great for this, but also under dressers. Most of the time my cats over the years have ignored their usual hidey spots, but they are handy in some ways: I can tell they may not feel well if they spend too much time hiding, so it's a good measuring stick for their moods or health overall.

 

[tarasgirl06]

That's great news!







I think it's a good stage to still let him have the safe spots that he likes since he is used to them, under the bed and under the dresser. They are like lily pads of safety for him, as he gains more confidence. He can step out and explore, then go back again. I think if you take them away, he could go back to a frightened "square one" of feeling like there are no places of initial safety as he gets used to his new digs and new owner.
Just my two cents!

I have let my kitties have hidey places all of their lives, just ones that I can get them out of easily just in case I need to get them to the vet or whatnot. Tunnels and boxes are great for this, but also under dressers. Most of the time my cats over the years have ignored their usual hidey spots, but they are handy in some ways: I can tell they may not feel well if they spend too much time hiding, so it's a good measuring stick for their moods or health overall.

Great post, PushPurrCatPaws ! I agree -- everyone wants and needs safe places.

 

[rubysmama]

artiemom : How are things going with you and Geoffrey?