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Traumatized cat?

post #1 of 7
11/3/09 at 6:13pm
Thread Starter 
I got a new cat a couple months ago and we have 3 birds in cages in the kitchen. One day she jumped on the cage so my brother sprayed her with water, but went kind of over board and reaaaally scared her i think (i wasnt home)

Ever since then she has stayed in the basement where her litter box and food/water are and barely comes up. When her kitten comes up she will come up the stairs but stay on the first 3 steps and just look into the room.
Whenever we see her we call her name and encourage her to come up with treats, to show her its safe again but nothing is really working.

She is slowly following me up again when i go down and pet her and stuff, but she will only come up and roam around when there is almost no one in the family room.

I think my brother traumatized her that one time when he over did it with the spray bottle and now shes scared of the main floor


Is there any way of letting her see that its safe for her ????
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post #2 of 7
11/4/09 at 10:50am
Firstly, smack your brother upside the head! Just kidding, well not really but we aren't allowed to smack folks anymore.

It may well take some time before she feels safe again so you'll just have to be patient and keep encouraging her.
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post #3 of 7
11/4/09 at 12:21pm
Ah, yes, so this is why she called her kitten back if the kitten went upstairs? I think I remember that thread.


Anyway, I think you may try with a Feliway diffuser in the upstairs. So she will feel safer there.
If you afford, have Feliway diffusers both up and down.
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post #4 of 7
11/4/09 at 12:43pm
Thread Starter 
What is a Feliway diffuser ?
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post #5 of 7
11/5/09 at 5:46pm
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...fm?pcatid=8906

Then there's this recent thread here in this forum: http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=206380
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post #6 of 7
11/5/09 at 6:55pm
Chances are your brother did more then what he is telling you. First of all spraying a cat with water while it is climbing a bird cage makes no sense. The kitty could have taken the bird cage down from simple panic! I never support the spray bottle method, but know that squirting a kitty once and it runs off doesn't cause absolute fear and isolation. I'm guessing she never had a trusting relationship with him, and he definitely did something much more severe causing her to fear where he may be.
You need to talk to him, he needs to leave your kitties alone, no teasing, no spooking, no taunting.....Encourage her to come up when hes not around, give her time and love, spend some time whenever you can with her where she does feel safe.
Understand that whatever happened is not what he is telling you, and the only way she can tell you that something is wrong is by hiding where she feels safe.....
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post #7 of 7
11/5/09 at 7:07pm
Yeah, to be honest, I'd also hazard a guess that something else happend. Perhaps he sprayed her and she panicked and hurt herself in some way that she now associates with that area? Ask your brother about it, it might help you figure things out.
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