I Just Don't Understand.

[Dmcfarland416]

So I'm new here, and while I've had many cats in my life, I've not experienced this and I'm quite concerned. My cat is about 6 or 7 years old (she was adopted from a not so great shelter) and she is a very shy and timid girl. Most things upset her and she runs away from. However the past three days something has changed. Her favorite spot in the world is on the bed, cuddled in my arm, between me and my bf. Three days ago that is exactly where she was, it was completely normal, until something spooked her. She got pretty jumpy and went to her safe spot under the bed. Me or my bf didnt try to stop her or anything. A day later she came to us and did her usual but she went on top of me (still fairly normal) and after a minute or so she looked down a the blanket, absolutely terrified and got real jumpy again, leaping g from the bed and again, going to her safe place. Again we didnt try to stop her or anything. And now today (I've been trying to research and see if I could find answers or advice online) she got on the bed of her free will, came over to me (I had just woke up so I was sitting instead of laying) and I carefully let her, everything was fine. I very slowly and gently lifted the cover to let her see under, that it was just my bf and then she got jumpy again. But this time she didnt get off the bed, she just went to the bottom next to our dog. Shes currently laying on my foot, on the blanket and I'm not moving at all so I dont scare her. Is this something I should be very worried about and take her to the vet immediatley over? Or with monitoring, and I guess ignoring it, should she overcome this? I'm also still very unsure what scares her. I dont know if it's anything under cloth, if it's just the blanket, my shirts, or if it's the bed sheet (shes seemed scared of all of them in the past few days) Oh and absolutely nothing has changed in the past two months. And she clearly wants to be on the bed, she comes back constantly of her own free will, just after a few minutes, something spooks my baby.

 

[Reckia]

I had a new kitty that did this also. She eventually calmed down and saw that there wasn't anything under the covers (snake?). It took about a month. Have you tried Royal Canin Calm cat food? It has helped one of my other cats.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

For a shy girl, any movement under the blanket could set off a reaction like this. It seems, from your description, that she is slowly overcoming it on her own. Let her take this at her pace, and be patient and loving, which I know you are doing anyway!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Have you checked all the bedding that seems to be spooking her for a possible pee accident? Even if there is not one, I would wash everything that seems to be spooking her, and if there are towels/blankets with her scent on them that she is still OK with, lay them on the washed linens.

Spooking like this doesn't generally happen without a reason. Something on one of you/your clothes that was different that left a scent on the bedding she seems spooked by? Just one example.

 

[susanm9006]

I live with one of those jumpy girls and I can tell you that you will likely not be able to figure out what she finds scary. The best thing to do is to ignore the behavior and don’t try to help her overcome it. That sounds rather callous but trying to help them just makes them more nervous. Just stick to your usual routine and behavior and she will more than likely settle down.

 

[Kflowers]

If you are washing clothes, blankets etc to remove pee use white vinegar in the rinse water. Perhaps run an extra rinse with the vinegar again to remove the soap smell.

 

[danteshuman]

I’m sorry your shy baby got scared. The problem is it could be hundreds of things inside and outside your place that scared her. I agree with everyone else, just be calm and patient. Show her there is nothing to be scared of and praise her as she overcomes her fear.

 

[dustydiamond1]

How are things going?

 

[Sidewinder]

Just catching up to this thread... my cat Crackhead almost always sleeps on the bed with me, but he got spooked a few nights ago and became leery of the blankets. I was reading a book and I moved a toe or foot under the covers, and I think perhaps the cat had recently encountered a scorpion or snake outside... he leapt up and got all jumpy, eventually scratching my ankle as he fled the bed and room. He had NEVER done this before, so my first thought was: "SCORPION IN MY BED!!!" I immediately rose and stripped the blankets & top sheet to make sure there was no such varmint lurking in the covers, last thing I wanna do is share my bed with a scorpion, LOL.

Crackhead acted funny for the next two days & nights, avoiding the bed and sleeping on the couch in another room. Last night, he rejoined me on the bed, but not before a careful inspection of the covers... I'm not sure what he saw, or what he thought he saw the other night, but this is Arizona so it's better not to take chances, aye? I did a good job of sealing this home, going through a record 27 tubes of caulking in the process, but a young bark scorpion can slip through a crack or seam the thickness of a credit card, or so I was told by a long-time local. Meh, no harm done, apart from Crackhead's weird behavior, and it's better to be safe than sorry in a high desert country full of scorpions, rattlers, etc.

 

[Reckia]

Arizona is an interesting place to live! I got stung by a scorpion in the shower a few weeks ago. I have a cat who hunts for the bugs, pounces on their backs (scorpions and centipedes) until they are worn out, then dumps them in the water dish for me to find! I told him he missed the one in the shower! (A Benadryl and baking soda paste took care of the sting.)

I almost lost my Siamese to a rattlesnake bite when I had an outdoor area for him that I THOUGHT was safe! He had never seen a snake before. Mine aren't allowed out anymore after that!