My cat wont come out from under the bed, and we're getting desperate!

[arthorn]

Poor kitty lived under the bed for a good while, then we took her to the vet to have her checked out. I was hoping something was wrong that they could take care of, but just as well they found nothing wrong with her. After we brought her home she lived in the basement under a shelf for a while, until someone used a saw. The noise from the saw sent her running right back under my bed where she is now. She'll purr and purr when I lay on the bed, but won't come out to be pet and is incredibly scared to even come out to eat.

We're far from abusive, so we're not sure of any reason that she would hide from us in this fashion. We have 4 other cats in the house, 3 of them are her children, and the other one is a recent stray we brought in. She was fine with the stray for a good while, so I can only assume it's not him, but can not be too sure. 

Does anyone have any suggestions of ways to get her to be more comfortable with my family and our house again? I was trying to coax her out with some of her favorite ham earlier, but she still wouldn't come out despite clearly wanting to eat it!

Help please!

 

[rafm]

How long have u had the cat? How did you get her? How old is she?

 

[white cat lover]

Welcome to TCS!

Some cats are naturally more shy/timid than others. Do you have a busier household? Is this a recent behavior, or has she always been like this?

You can try something like a Feliway diffuser

 

[arthorn]

We've had her for 10+ years, and she's never been a timid cat. She came into our house as a stray (my sister thought she wouldn't be able to survive a giant thunder storm when she was a kid, and brought her home lol). She's probably 12 or 13 years old, and has never been timid before. She's actually been almost aggressive, so this is a big change for her. If she wanted to lay on your stomach, she would do it despite your attempts to stop her. The house isn't busier at all I wouldn't think, at least it hasn't become any busier since right before/since this behavior started.

That feliway product looks pretty expensive (but I guess in the long run after paying for a vet trip/blood work/x rays/overnight stay for her it won't be too much to add on 

). Do you have any experience with the product?

*edit*

She had kittens shortly after coming into our house, 3 of which still live with us (we kept a 4th one but it sadly passed away a few years back). Another edit also, they are all indoor cats with access to a screened porch to enjoy the nice weather.

Thank you both for your replies!

-Arthorn

 

[nekomancer]

This almost sounds like my cat's behaviour when we moved to a new house.

The first days he would not get out of the bed, and even wanted to be under the covers.

Fortunately after a few days he started venturing out.

Has your cat shown actual fear or just interest in staying under the bed?

 

[arthorn]

This almost sounds like my cat's behaviour when we moved to a new house.

The first days he would not get out of the bed, and even wanted to be under the covers.

Fortunately after a few days he started venturing out.

Has your cat shown actual fear or just interest in staying under the bed?

That's a good question actually. She'll pop her head out a bit, but go no further. I figure she's sneaking down in the middle of the night to use the litter box (thank goodness), but won't come out for attention or even food. She used to be overweight, but she's skinny now. We're putting food right near her now so she doesn't starve, but she doesn't seem to want to come out completely even to eat. She will pop her head out for attention, if you lay on the floor and put your hand under the bed she'll come flying over to you purring and begging for attention. Like I said, that's a good question which I wish I knew the answer to.

 

[nekomancer]

If she purrs and feels more relaxed when your around, then at least you are giving her a safe place.

I would hope after a few days she will feel at ease to come out if the thing that scared her is not longer there (the saw?).

You could notice if its the stray you got by her reaction to him.

In my opinion, i would not worry to much about her searching for a safe haven, but she does need to eat properly.

When i had these issues, I changed dry food to something with a bit more taste so the cat is inclined to taste and go munch.

Don't force her to go out, just let hear eat in the safe place.

I hope she feels better soon.

Can you give her space? Like, close the door to the room so she has the room to calm down?

Just an idea.

 

[arthorn]

If she purrs and feels more relaxed when your around, then at least you are giving her a safe place.

I would hope after a few days she will feel at ease to come out if the thing that scared her is not longer there (the saw?).

You could notice if its the stray you got by her reaction to him.

In my opinion, i would not worry to much about her searching for a safe haven, but she does need to eat properly.

When i had these issues, I changed dry food to something with a bit more taste so the cat is inclined to taste and go munch.

Don't force her to go out, just let hear eat in the safe place.

I hope she feels better soon.

Can you give her space? Like, close the door to the room so she has the room to calm down?

Just an idea.

She was only in the basement, as we had just brought her home from the vet after her being under my bed for a long time. We let her out in the basement, and she found the first place to hide and stuck with it for a few days.

We don't really have an opportunity to see her reaction to the stray at this point unfortunately. I can close my door (there will be one other cat in the room, her child who pretty much lives in the room but in a much more healthy way), and see if she'll accept food more willingly or something.

Again, thanks for the reply!

 

[ldg]

Arthorn, did the vet do blood work? And nothing was towards being high or low?

This sudden change of behavior in a senior kitty, combined with weight loss, makes me think there is a medical problem. The most common that is difficult to detect but has these symptoms is lymphoma. I don't know if you want to spend the money on xrays, ultrasound, or other diagnositcs - which may or may not turn up the problem, which may then turn out not to be treatable.

I don't really know what to suggest you do. Since it makes her purr to have you there, maybe just spend as much time as you can with her, just doing quiet things in there, or reading out loud to her. :rub: I'd give her whatever little treats she loves, anything she may eat. :heart3: Chicken or ham babyfood (just meat, no other ingredients) is often a favorite. I agree - getting her to eat is important. And if she's hiding under the bed in a room without a litter box, you may want to consider putting a box in there for her.



Vibes for you and your baby.

 

[rafm]

I have to agree with Laurie - the weight loss is a big indicator that something is medically wrong. Our Cleo suffered with Lymphoma for almost a year before we lost her. She just wasted away and no test was able to confirm anything was actually wrong with her.

The hiding is another indicator that something is very wrong. As this is new behavior I would be very worried. She needs to be weighed to see how rapid the weight loss is. There are appetite stimulants that can be given to get some nutrients into her.

Do you know how quickly she has lost weight?

 

[arthorn]

Arthorn, did the vet do blood work? And nothing was towards being high or low?
This sudden change of behavior in a senior kitty, combined with weight loss, makes me think there is a medical problem.

The most common that is difficult to detect but has these symptoms is lymphoma. I don't know if you want to spend the money on xrays, ultrasound, or other diagnositcs - which may or may not turn up the problem, which may then turn out not to be treatable.
I don't really know what to suggest you do. Since it makes her purr to have you there, maybe just spend as much time as you can with her, just doing quiet things in there, or reading out loud to her.

I'd give her whatever little treats she loves, anything she may eat.

Chicken or ham babyfood (just meat, no other ingredients) is often a favorite. I agree - getting her to eat is important. And if she's hiding under the bed in a room without a litter box, you may want to consider putting a box in there for her.

Vibes for you and your baby.

Thanks a bunch. We did get blood work and X rays done, they all came back negative. 

 

[ldg]

Yes, I would discuss an an anti-nausea medication with the vet (cerenia worked wonders for our Lazlo, and only needs to be given 1/4 pill daily. :nod: And an appetite stimulant is a great idea - again, worked wonders for our Lazlo. We used mirtazipine. Only needs to be given every three days. And a standard of care kind of treatment for lymphoma is prednisolone, a low dose, just to fight inflammation. :heart3:

 

[paloma]

We are experiencing the same issue with our ten year old female cat Paloma. We thought she had gone missing for three days but we eventually found her snuggled under the spare bed. Similarly to you, whilst she won't venture from her safe place, she is purring when I stroke her........

Paloma was diagnosed with an over active thyroid a couple of months ago (and is on medication) so I was wondering whether it has something to do with her ailment?

She is presently under our bed and I am just giving her all the love she needs. I will call the vet on Monday.

Hope everything works out for you guys.

 

[ligwa]

I wonder if the vet checked your kitty's teeth. She could have a tooth ache or something else going on in her mouth.

 

[ziggy'smom]

When did the hiding start? Did something happen around that time? When did the weight loss start? I think it sounds like a medical problem too. Remember that negative tests doesn't mean that nothing is wrong with her. There are many conditions that can't be picked up by standard tests or any tests at all. If you can I'd do some additional testing and maybe pay a visit to a holistic vet that can be very good at dealing with behavioral issues. There is definitely something very wrong with your kitty.

Feliway diffusers are a bit pricey but if you buy them online it's not so bad. I found one for $27.

 

[callista]

Thoughts...

--Provide her plenty of safe hiding spots around the house, with a vantage point that she can use to watch what's going on around her. My Christy needs to feel safe at all times, so for her I always have small spots that she can get into and my rambunctious, larger, Tiny can't. I have a long, narrow box that goes the length of the apartment hallway (which should tell you how tiny my apartment is!) so she can duck into it while going from room to room. I also make sure she can get up on top of things (all but the kitchen counters, which are off-limits to all felines) whenever she needs to, because Tiny isn't much of a climber, and he will try to get her to play his rough-and-tumble games if she isn't out of his reach and he's in a playful mood. Naturally I always make sure to play with Tiny regularly so he has an outlet for his energy.

--Try kitty Prozac if Feliway doesn't help. She may have the kitty version of an anxiety disorder. A vet's prescription is necessary, naturally. Some vets do house calls so you don't have to traumatize her too much.

--Keep your goal in mind: You want the cat to be happy and feel safe. If she can feel safe while hiding most of the time, then that would be an acceptable outcome, yes? So, if she is hiding, but relaxed and watchful instead of petrified with fear, then she's probably doing well.

 

[arthorn]

Hey all,

Thanks for all the replies. As stated above, the goal is to have a happy healthy cat. Unfortunately since returning to under my bed, she's decided that under my bed is an acceptable replacement for a litter box, despite us putting one right next to my bed. I came home with a feliway diffuser today, so hopefully that will help. I'm fine with her hiding, as long as she's safe and healthy, but we can't let her use the carpet in my room as a little box

 

[whollycat]

I would take her back to the vet; something is definitely not right. Did they do blood and urine tests? Did they send the tests out to an independent lab, or do in-house? Do you have those handy to post the results with reference ranges--or upload as an attachment?

Did they check her eyesight? Hearing and ears? Feel all over her body for any abnormalities? Did they extend her limbs to see if anything hurts there? Check for arthritis? Listen to her heart? Check her blood pressure? Did they check her weight?

Did they run a Senior panel on her to check for diseases that affect older kitties?

This is pretty concerning behavior, so getting her checked over again in more depth is warranted.

Gentle headbutts to your sweet girly,
 

 

[arthorn]

Thanks again,

It's looking like she's going to make her way back to the vet soon enough for sure. I'm going to have to guide her down to the basement again tonight where the floor is concrete so if she pee's it wont soak in, and there's 3 litter boxes down there that she can use if she feels comfortable. I'll set up a nice bed of towels for her so she doesn't have to sleep on the floor. I'm flying out tomorrow morning, so hopefully she'll stick down there until I get back. (there will be people home of course)

While I now have the feliway, is there any advice on where I should locate it? Currently it's sitting right above the box next to the litter box that's next to the bed she's hiding under. 

Thanks as always!

 

[catmom5]

Thank you for going to such great lengths for your girl. I'm sure that this is not easy for either of you.

One thing, common with cats, is kidney failure. Blood tests don't show that until the kidney function is less than 25 - 30%. Something is wrong and I hope you can figure out what it is. Cats are so good at hiding things when they are really sick, but the hiding and the lack of eating are huge red flags to me, as is peeing out of the box (if that's not normal).

Good luck to you.

catmom5