Kitty freaked out from earthquake

My meanine cat has been a really sweet girl now for about 4 days (thanks to the great advice I rec'd here!). Anyway, we had a 5.4 earthquake about an hour ago, and she freaked out, ran down the stairs, and jumped, not on top of, but over and behind the clothes dryer. I finally found her, scared and full of lint.
After holding a shaky kitty for about 10 minutes, I put her down and within 10 minutes, she was back behind the dryer. She's never gone there before, and she could really get hurt. I'm assuming it was one of the aftershocks that made her do this, but is this normal to jump into such a dangerous place twice in a row?

They'll jump anywhere, where they feel safe. They don't realize the dangerous things they are around, its quiet, its dark, they only feel secure. I had the same problem with two I have when they first came from the shelter, I let them out of the cat carrier, I don't know how but they immediately found the back of my refrigerator. Every time I'd go back there to get them they'd go off behind it again. My counter top was right next to it, they'd jump on the counter and down the back. The went into the back underneath the redfrigerator where there was a fan. Very dangerous, When I got them out I put big water bottles on the counter by the space they were going through. That stopped them, then they went behind my couch which was a lot safer. Finally they calmed down and came out in their own good time.

aww bless! cats are so much more sensitive than us - your cat would have known the earthquake was coming for some time before it did & because of their heightened senses it was bound to feel x10 worse. try to coax her out with favourite foods/treats/play and hopefully she'll get over it. if it really takes her ages like days & days to get back to her usual self maybe consult the vet & get some standby sedatives or something like for the next one. she should be ok - the same senses that told her the quake was coming will also let her know all is well, so shes bound to poke a lint covered head out from behind the drier soon enough. xx

Block entry to the back of the drier and make some new safe places; put a cardboard box on its side with a towel in a cool corner.

She'll calm down with time; hopefully quickly and completely!

Why not bring her to the corner of your closet, maybe with a little pillow, so she can curl up in the 'dark' but you'll know she's safe.

oh, it is so nice getting help from cat people!!!

Normally I'd just close the laundry room's door, but that's where we have my dog's food and water. But, I think I will start putting our big water gallons on top of the dryer, to perhaps change her mind about leaping back there!

BTW, after I'd posted this, we couldn't find her again and finally located her...she had forced herself between the back of a toilet and the plumbing. Poor thing! She's finally sleeping...under my bed, in a box.

It's wonderful that she's finally sleeping in a safe place!

You should try to find permanent solutions to her ability to get behind the dryer; maybe there is another place you can put the dog food? Now that she's found this safe place, she's likely to use it in the future whenever she's scared.

aww, poor kitty! Earthquakes must be so scary for them. And I was thinking, like someone else said, animals seem to be able to sense earthquakes before they happen. I wonder if you could watch her behavior and know what to look for to give you some warning should another earthquake or aftershock happen, hmm

Anyway, so glad to hear she is safe under the bed in a box, aww. I'm sure she'll come out when she feels secure. And then you can give her lots of love and reassurance

Originally Posted by KristyKitty

aww, poor kitty! Earthquakes must be so scary for them.

Click to expand...

They're no pick-nick for people, either!

Originally Posted by Zane's Pal

They're no pick-nick for people, either!

Click to expand...

lol no I suppose not I've never been in one, but I would probably freak out just like a kitty lol

My poor baby is still acting so scared! I heard earlier that we've already had 90 aftershocks, and even though we don't notice them much, I know the animals do.
She doesn't even want to go outside with me today, and that's her favorite morning activity! (She watches hummingbirds while I water my herbs and veggies)

aww, poor little kitty! I hope she has a place where she does feel somewhat safe. Maybe you can bring her food, water, litter to that place to make her more comfortable.

I hope the ground settles down soon and that your kitty feels better!