Is your cat scared of air conditioning?

My cat is.. and I need some help to solve the situation. My cat, as some of you might know, has been living in our apartment for a week. Before then, he was living at my parents' house in the past 3 years. In the past few days, the air conditioner in my apartment has been turned on to give out cold air for the summer time. When ever the air conditioner is giving out air, my cat would hide...

So, is my cat scared of the noise from the air conditioner, the cold air (actually not that cold), or the smell that comes from the air conditioner?

Should I just let him hide until he gets used to it? He is finally getting used to the new enviornment, and I just don't want him to hide again because of the stupid air conditioner.

Thanks. Jean

It's only been a week, there's bound to be some things he doesn't know about and can be a little spooked by them.

I do understand that you want to use the airconditioning. I live in a place in Australia that requires it except for two months of the year so I know all about heat. My cats have reacted to airconditioners due to the noise but are fine with them.

The most that concerned them was noise, especially one rather loud unit. We don't use that one because it concerns us too. The only other time that they reacted to one, (and badly), was when one blew out air that reeked of old cigarette smoke. My partner and I don't smoke.

We cleaned out the airconditioner thoroughly, then switched it on again to see that the smell was gone and to see that we had put everything back in the right place. Things were better, but our cats now associate the noise of that particular airconditioner with the smell and will act cautiously.

I would recommend cleaning your airconditioner and replacing the filter if need be. This would eliminate offensive odours. Then if it is noise, leave it on and don't make a fuss. Your cat should be able to get the idea that the noise doesn't cause you concern and perhaps they can go about doing cat things as well.

It's only been a week, so he can't possibly know everything about your apartment. But with time, he'll get used to you and your apartment and all its little quirks.

a_loveless_gem

thank you for sharing your experience with me. unfortunately, my "air conditioner" is those centrallized system installed in the apartment. So I cann't really take it down and "clean it."

hopefully my cat will figure out in time that the air conditioner is harmless to him.

jean

Centralised ducts huh?

Well I'm not beaten yet. So I'll assume that it gets cleaned often or at least when it's meant to be cleaned at the main part of the airconditioner.

It seems like it may be the noise. Soooo....have you heard of Feliway? It comes in a spray and as a plugin. It's a cat pheromone product that promotes well being and can calm stressed kitties out. Though I think you may have from your other thread. I can't remember. That may help with the situation.

I've only ever used the spray and it works well but from what people say on these forums, the plugin works wonders. And while he's content to hide, as long as he's still eating and drinking and using the kitty litter, things are okay. When one of these stop, then it's time to start investigating.