Why Is My Cat Terrified Of Other Cats?

[CatLoverOnWheels]

So my 1yo moggie is terrified of other cats. She is a homebody, not by choice. I keep her in as I don't trust her not to go to the main road which is about 3-400m away.

She went missing about a month for an afternoon till the next morning. She must've got stuck or someone kept her in? I don't know but ever since, she's not tried to sneak out and in fact, she refuses to step out from the window. Might be a reason as to why she's now scared of other cats?

One cat came in through the window last week. Beautiful calico by the way and a total social kitty always approaching cats. I knew the cat anyway as they're my neighbours'. They came in and got real close to Nala and Nala just.. whined and was backed into a corner but never lashed out. We lured said social cat out but I tried to comfort Nala. She instead scratched me and bit me too in quick succession. I do get it, it's redirected aggression. They took a while to scab over and I cleaned it with anti-septic.

I mean yesterday, another cat, a tabby, came in the garden but the window was closed so they only saw each other and she reportedly started arching her back and hissing at tabby despite being separated by glass and some 6ft. It did eventually leave though. I wasn't there but I was told.

However, should cats be scared? She's my first and only cat by the way

 

[FeebysOwner]

So, was she bothered by other cats before she went missing overnight that one time? If not, could be something happened to her with another cat while she was out. Did she have any wounds/scratches/etc. to suggest that she might have gotten into a fight?

How is she acting otherwise? Any signs of illness - could she have contracted something while outside that night?

And, finally some cats just don't like other cats. I have one who HATES all other cats and, if she could, would go after them when she sees them from our screened-in patio. As you already suggested she attacked you instead of the calico cat; but, had the encounter been allowed to go on further she might have attacked the calico. After all, she did behave in a more aggressive manner with the tabby through the window.

Your best bet is to find a way to keep other cats from coming inside your house, to at least avoid a direct encounter. As far as cats coming around when the windows are closed, she might still react, but once she would figure out they can't come inside her demeanor might get a little better.

 

[CatLoverOnWheels]

So, was she bothered by other cats before she went missing overnight that one time? If not, could be something happened to her with another cat while she was out. Did she have any wounds/scratches/etc. to suggest that she might have gotten into a fight?

How is she acting otherwise? Any signs of illness - could she have contracted something while outside that night?

And, finally some cats just don't like other cats. I have one who HATES all other cats and, if she could, would go after them when she sees them from our screened-in patio. As you already suggested she attacked you instead of the calico cat; but, had the encounter been allowed to go on further she might have attacked the calico. After all, she did behave in a more aggressive manner with the tabby through the window.

Your best bet is to find a way to keep other cats from coming inside your house, to at least avoid a direct encounter. As far as cats coming around when the windows are closed, she might still react, but once she would figure out they can't come inside her demeanor might get a little better.

No, she seemed completely healthy and not in pain. Just a bit shaken up as she was locked out till my step dad spotted her jumping up the window and yelling so he opened the window.

I think she either got stuck, overexcited by going out and she ended up being locked out when it was hometime and we don't yet have a catflap, had fun roaming till she saw one of the neighbourhood cats, encountered a fox or our petless nextdoor neighbour could've kept her in? i don't know

She'd never been bothered by a cat directly. When the calico cat came in, she backed herself into a corner with room for exits and just whined. The cat was there for a good moment so I'm not sure.. if she would've lashed out. Perhaps if he got super close and touched her, she would have.

 

[Etarre]

My first cat used to see neighborhood cats wandering through the space behind our apartment through the window (it wasn't nearly nice or large enough to be a 'yard'). She always seemed fascinated by them, and sometimes scratched on the window as if trying to get their attention. Although we'd always assumed she was happy being an only cat, we wondered if she'd like to socialize with her own species now and then.

So....cue a not-so-bright idea. We had invited two friends over for Thanksgiving, and decided they could bring their cats for a little playdate while the humans pigged out. This was a disaster. One cat had been bred to be friendly, which seemed to mean that she had no instinct whatsoever for self-preservation. She spent the whole evening totting around looking confused, while the other two were hissing and yowling whenever she got close, and trying to avoid her by hiding. Mind you, the 'friendly' cat was about 8 pounds max, and both of the others were much bigger, so she was really not any sort of physical threat, no matter her disposition.

All this to say...some cats seem simply not to enjoy being around other cats. Our cat was raised with siblings, had a sweet, social mother, and wasn't removed from her cat family too young, so she had no particular trauma that made her averse to interacting with other cats. It just seemed to be her preference.

 

[CatLoverOnWheels]

My first cat used to see neighborhood cats wandering through the space behind our apartment through the window (it wasn't nearly nice or large enough to be a 'yard'). She always seemed fascinated by them, and sometimes scratched on the window as if trying to get their attention. Although we'd always assumed she was happy being an only cat, we wondered if she'd like to socialize with her own species now and then.

So....cue a not-so-bright idea. We had invited two friends over for Thanksgiving, and decided they could bring their cats for a little playdate while the humans pigged out. This was a disaster. One cat had been bred to be friendly, which seemed to mean that she had no instinct whatsoever for self-preservation. She spent the whole evening totting around looking confused, while the other two were hissing and yowling whenever she got close, and trying to avoid her by hiding. Mind you, the 'friendly' cat was about 8 pounds max, and both of the others were much bigger, so she was really not any sort of physical threat, no matter her disposition.

All this to say...some cats seem simply not to enjoy being around other cats. Our cat was raised with siblings, had a sweet, social mother, and wasn't removed from her cat family too young, so she had no particular trauma that made her averse to interacting with other cats. It just seemed to be her preference.

That's exactly what happened except mine was the smaller one!

There goes my plan of bringing my cousin's cat over.

 

[amethyst]

It sounds to me more like being territorial. Cats in general are way more territorial and much less social then dogs. Cats that have been raised around other cats or where properly introduced (can take weeks or months of slow intros) are generally ok with those cats, but not outsiders. So to her other cat coming in the house was kind of like an intruder walking into the house. How would you feel if some random stranger (or one of your neighbors) just walked into your house uninvited? Probably like "what the heck!? who are you and what are you doing here?!" Same with your cat seeing another cat in the yard, basically telling it "go away this is my territory".

If she never had that reaction before she was locked out over night I would guess something happened while she was outside. Likely go chased and/or cornered by another cat because she was in their territory and now she doesn't trust them. I would make sure to keep the window closed so no other cats come into your house, and maybe even put some cat deterrent/repellent around your house if you can so neighborhood cats stay away.

 

[CatLoverOnWheels]

It sounds to me more like being territorial. Cats in general are way more territorial and much less social then dogs. Cats that have been raised around other cats or where properly introduced (can take weeks or months of slow intros) are generally ok with those cats, but not outsiders. So to her other cat coming in the house was kind of like an intruder walking into the house. How would you feel if some random stranger (or one of your neighbors) just walked into your house uninvited? Probably like "what the heck!? who are you and what are you doing here?!" Same with your cat seeing another cat in the yard, basically telling it "go away this is my territory".

If she never had that reaction before she was locked out over night I would guess something happened while she was outside. Likely go chased and/or cornered by another cat because she was in their territory and now she doesn't trust them. I would make sure to keep the window closed so no other cats come into your house, and maybe even put some cat deterrent/repellent around your house if you can so neighborhood cats stay away.

She's had a lesser reaction to the first 2 times she's seen the hood cats passing through our garden to get to other gardens. First, it was pure fear (arched back, bushy tail) as it was the first time seeing a cat since leaving much. The second, she just stared at calico almost in bewilderment and curiosity and almost sneer-hissing.

It's possible she has been chased/cornered by another cat. I wouldn't put it past one hood cat who has a reputation