Skittish and Fearful Cat

[cuthawolf]

Hey guys,

So a while back my mom's Sheltie (Sandy) passed away. Her one Siamese (Chai) withdrew a lot and seemed to be in mourning for her friend. After a few months my mom went out and bought another Siamese from a breeder, this one just a little kitten (Nami). After about a month they started to get along famously.

As a kitten Nami was utterly fearless, climbing and exploring all over the place, cuddling when and where she wanted and just generally being sort of awesome. Since she's grown into a full cat (about two years old now I think) she's gotten extremely skittish and jumpy. Every little sound seems to make her jump or crouch down low, and she spends a lot of time staring at the side door to the house. We've tried to give her space, tried to make sure she's included when space didn't work, and just tried very hard to make her feel welcome and not afraid. My mom even went and got a third cat (Lily) to see if that would help, but that's another story.

Is there any way to help Nami calm down a little and/or feel safe? We all love her a lot and it kinda kills me to see her so afraid all the time. Any advice would be really appreciated.

Regards,

James

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Poor baby!  My "soul kitty" Glory was very skittish.  My Mom nicknamed her Beanse because she would jump up in the air any time you startled her; like a jumping bean.  

Is there something outside that door that scares her?  Car noises, a rickety screen door, dogs barking or even cats marking?  Its good to try to determine what the trigger is; even though it's been going on a while now.  (Did I read that right?  How long has she been this way?)

A feliway diffuser may be helpful; but they take time to work.  They work like the air fresheners you plug in (without an odor to us) releasing a synthetic facial pheremone like a cat releases when they mark things.  It helps them feel calm and secure.  You may need more than one depending on the size of your home and things; but you could always start with one in the area she is most skittish or spends most of her time.  It can also be pricy; but if you look online you might find a deal on it.

There are also calming collars and things you can add to their water; but I've not had any personal experience with them.  I've also heard of calming treats; but again I've not tried them.  

My Glory has been gone for 12 years; so she was gone before I knew about any of these things.  We just tried to accommodate her.  She was fine with me and my mother but cautious with anyone else.  She had safe hiding places in my bedroom and in my yard.  I had younger siblings who had to be taught how to treat her (one of our other cats was completely fearless and the most friendly cat ever; basically her opposite!)  She still ate her food with the other cats and used the litter box with them; but having her own safe places definitely helped Glory.  One of her favorites was on a wire shelf that sat in front of my bedroom window.  I think it was 4 or 5 shelves high and I mostly had things like old stuffed animals and books on it.  I left space on one shelf right in front of the window sill and folded a sheet for her to lay on.  Then I took another old sheet and wrapped the 2 most exposed sides of the shelves so she was hidden; yet she could look outside at birds and what not.