Rescue cat panics

[Baker's Mom]

I'm trying to figure this out. My new rescue cat is doing quite well and getting along with my resident cat. But if I try to open the windows, he gets very frightened rather than interested. And worst of all, if there is the sound of screaming playing children, he goes into complete panic mode. Today that happened, and I could not find him. I finally found him behind the dryer, unable to jump back up. I had to move the dryer out a bit for him to be able to jump back up. He had to have been panicked to run there and jump down behind that. When I first found him, it was during the time that the nearby elementary School was letting out and there was a lot of screaming from the children. He was lost, and completely out of his mind with fright. I don't know what happened to him before but my best guess is that he was dumped out of a moving vehicle by the elementary school. His paws were all cut up and had abrasions on them. So how do I get him to calm down when he hears children, as there is no way to avoid that with open windows. I've never had a cat react to eindows like this before. Normally they are interested in what's going on outside and wanting to sniff the fresh air. Even just sniffing the fresh air when everything is quiet sends him under a couch to hide. But today he was in panic mode. I'm already using Feliway and Comfort Zone to calm his anxiety. And that has been working, until he panicked today. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
Can you have him in a room where you don't need to open windows, on the other side of the house from the school if possible? Plus, try white noise, either with a sound machine or Cat Music, or classical harp music (just not 24-7). Try this for a while, since school should be ending pretty soon for the summer break (I think depending on schedules?).

I can't say as I blame him, those screams are very piercing and my boy doesn't like them either. He has, however, gotten better with it over time so I think there's hope for your sweetie. Hang in there with him

 

[Baker's Mom]

Hi
Can you have him in a room where you don't need to open windows, on the other side of the house from the school if possible? Plus, try white noise, either with a sound machine or Cat Music, or classical harp music (just not 24-7). Try this for a while, since school should be ending pretty soon for the summer break (I think depending on schedules?).

I can't say as I blame him, those screams are very piercing and my boy doesn't like them either. He has, however, gotten better with it over time so I think there's hope for your sweetie. Hang in there with him

Thank you. Yes, I've had him in his own room for several weeks to settle out after his rescue, and I have some "spa music" (SiriusXM on the TV) playing for him, which seemed to calm him (along with a Feliway diffuser). It was too cold to open up the windows except for a few times, and then he would go underneath the couch, even if it was quiet.

After posting this, it was very interesting. Everything was quiet, so I opened the windows just a little bit, and my resident cat, Luna, got up in the windows and started looking out. He followed her lead. So I think I can use her to show him that it is safe. Earlier in the day, I was giving her some cat lube hairball remedy, since it's shedding season, and she's very good at sitting on the counter and then I tell her to open her mouth and I just swipe it on the roof of her mouth. Baker was watching as I did that. I had to give him some last week because he threw up a hairball and it was a nightmare. Today, after he watched Luna get her dose. I immediately put him up on the counter to give him his dose and it was 80% easier than last time. So I think my resident cat is going to be the one that's going to gain his trust. He's learning from her. Fingers crossed. Obviously he has some PTSD from screaming children. I don't like that sound either. LOL. I can't blame him. Thank you so much for replying. This site has been really great.

 

[Tobermory]

How wonderful that your new kitty gets along with your resident cat! That's huge! But poor guy to be so scared. I adopted a semi-feral cat several years ago, and she still gets mindlessly scared at certain noises outside. (I also had a cat many, many years ago who got so frightened of a plastic bag that she ran at full speed and lodged herself behind a dresser and couldn't get out.)

First, can you close the door to the room where the washer and dryer are? They become so frightened that all they can think about is escape and can actually hurt themselves in their panic. Can you make a refuge for him in a room, as Furballsmom suggests, or even in the back of a closet? I made a refuge for Mocha in two places: under a chair in the corner of a back bedroom over which I hung a towel and in the corner of a closet. I put a cat bed in the corner and a box in front so she felt like she was hidden. And kept the closed door cracked open so she could hide when she felt threatened.

If you can, spend time near where he's hiding, talking quietly to him. If you can reach him and he likes it, you could try brushing him and/or giving him a treat.

Here's an article that might have some helpful tips. The first half won't relate to your issue because you know why he's frightened. But the latter part gives some strategies. Stress in Cats – The Ultimate Guide – TheCatSite Articles

Hopefully over time, he'll become more used to the noise and perhaps summer vacation will give him more time to adjust.

 

[Baker's Mom]

Thank you so much. Yes, he has his own refuge room. With plenty of toys and lots of things that calm him. I've now shut the door to the washer and dryer room! I could not believe he went back there and very quickly. I didn't even see where he went. You're right, he could have hurt himself easily doing that. Interestingly enough, things got really quiet around here and so I decided to crack one or two windows open and my resident cat got up in the window sill to check it out. Baker saw her doing that, and he watched for a little bit and then he got up in the window sill! I think I can use my resident cat to teach him it's safe. He's really taking a lot of cues from her. And because they get along he trusts her. Now he's up in the windows with them almost fully open, smelling and listening to the birds chirp. Go figure. But the sound of screaming children is it trigger for him, and I'm going to need to be aware of that. Fingers crossed.

 

[neely]

Since we have adopted/rescued most of our cats I always say they don't come with a resume. I usually do not know their past history but pay close attention to their likes and dislikes just as you have been doing with Baker. Depending on his past experience(s) it will take time and patience but it sounds like you're doing a great job along with the help of your resident cat, Luna. The fact that Baker gets along with her is a huge step since many cat introductions do not go as well. The only thing I have to add to what the above members have suggested is to try one new idea at a time and see what Baker's preferences are with them.

Keep in mind there are some behaviors we cannot change but we may be able to modify them. When we adopted our last dog he had terrible separation anxiety and fear of a rolled up newspaper from which he would literally run in a corner and cower. It was pretty easy to assess what must have happened in his previous environment. Although he never got over his fear of a rolled up newspaper or the motion of a fly swatter he did recover from his separation anxiety by learning to trust us. I feel positive that Baker will learn to trust you too in time. If you have any pics you would like to share with us we'd love to see them.

 

[Baker's Mom]

Some photos of the little stinker. Ha. He's a sweetheart.

 

[Tobermory]

What a cutie! And look how happy he is! I’ll bet given time, the screech of children will freak him out less. He’s clearly comfortable with you and his new home.

 

[Baker's Mom]

He's definitely a "tree dweller' cat! He gets as high as he can on things and then he looks to see if he can get any higher, even though the only thing higher is the ceiling. I'm in love with him. I'd planned on finding him a home after his vet clearance, disease testing and neuter, but by that time I had become very attached to him and Luna was standing guard at his private door, wanting to get to him. The fates said he needed to be mine!

 

[Furballsmom]

I'm glad he has you!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

What a wonderful thing, that he, after all he must have gone through, found such a soft place to land! Keep the laundry room door closed, at least for now, and I'm betting that a lot of this will settle down. He may recover completely, or he may just get to the point that screaming kids send him under the coffee table. LOL, they do that to me, too!