She runs and hides at the sight of a stick!

Hey all,
I've just noticed some weird behavior in miss Trina.. I have these long stick thingies that I use as extra security to keep my windows from being opened(I'm one of those paranoid ones), and last night I noticed that when I took one out to open the window, Trina BOLTED.

When we got her she wasn't very well socialized, but now she's sweet as can be.. I was baffled. Later that night, my boyfriend went to shut the window and picked it up, and again, she hunched down against the floor and ran away, terrified.

Any ideas about this? It makes me sick to think that maybe her "breeder" beat her.. Ugh. =(

Maybe it wasn't the stick, but the window connection - maybe she thinks you're going to open the window and let in the evil bogey cat she saw outside last week!

God, I wish that was the case! But she's terrified of the stick, for sure! Besides, she likes going outside for walks.

Stop letting her see the stick.....

I'd hate to think that someone would have hit that dear baby with a stick at one point in her life, but that's what it sounds like to me.

Our Elliott was a stray and the "Lady" and I use that term loosely... a few houses away use to try and hit him with a broom and to this day when I get the broom out to sweep off the front porch he runs and hides under the bed.

Stimpy was absolutely TERRIFIED of brooms when we got him. I have never done anything to any of my cats. Stimpy was an adult rescue, and my conclusion (based on his health and condition when he arrived at the shelter) is he wasn't treated well at all in his previous home. And that someone must have done SOMETHING to him with a broom. We adopted him when he was almost 2 yrs old, and it took a while, but he's not as scared of them. I just carry on what I'm doing, don't reinforce his fear, but I let him head for another room if he likes. I did this with the vacuum too. So now he's not as upset as he used to get. He used to get so scared he'd probably leave a limb behind if necessary to get away. Now he's fine around brooms and the swiffer, but the vacuum kind of depends on how he feels that day.

It could be that she is just afraid of the stick, nothing more.

My Abby was never abused. I got her from my friend's daughter's room-mate who is an absolute cat nut like I am, when she was 4 months old. I've never hit her. But when I dig out the handle from an old broom to fish out toys from under the couch and dresser, Abby takes off like a shot because she's afraid of the stick, for no other reason that she thinks it's scarey.

patchy was terrified of brooms also. i bought a new one when i moved and she saw it and hid for nearly EIGHT HOURS! i couldnt believe it. id had her for almost 2 yrs and id never seen her that scared. its just certain kinds that scare her (wooden ones - mops also.)

she was still shaking when i got her out from under the bed. it brought us to tears to see her like and to think of how badly she must have been treated. she'd also peed under the bed and on herself from being so scared. needless to say, i took my broom and mop back and got a cheap plastic one. shes scared of those too but not nearly as bad. she comes out within about 15 min and ive almost broken her of her fear of them

If it's not abuse, It may just be a quirk. All my cats are freaked out by the sounds of plastic bags for some reason. There is nothing stranger than seeing a 30-pound maine coon look a like scram at the site of me about too scoop poo out the litterbox... not to mention when they see the red vaccum a coming, they all scram..