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The Cane(sic) Mutiny

post #1 of 15
12/17/09 at 10:19am
Thread Starter 
As a result of my recent back surgery I am hobbling around this house using a cane. I have mentioned on many occassions how afraid Alley is of everything. I had come to the conclusion that she was badly abused before ending up in the Seattle animal shelter. Any kind of noise would scare her, expecially the terrorvator (elevator) in this three story home. Also when I would reach out to pet her she would shrink away but become very loving after a few pets and always sleeps between me and DW in the bed, the only furniture she has ever got on in three years.

Here is the BIG problem. We have all hardwood floors and I mean hard on all three floors. There is no carpeting of any kind. I must use the cane now or face falling down. The cane goes clump, clump, clump on the hardwood floors and this scares Alley and she runs and hides in her room (the guest room closet) anytime I approach her. This morning she slept in bed with me but when I got up and reached for my cane, she took off running for her safe place.

This tells me that she must have been beaten with a stick or pole or now I am thinking it was a cane. I can walk small distances without the cane and when I approach her she remains calm and greets me lovingly. But if I try and approach her while using my cane, she flees in terror. I truly wish I could beat the out of the person with my cane that made her this way. Am I wrong in assuming she was beaten before she ended up in the shelter?

Whatever, what choices do I now have? It breaks my heart. Please do not tell me not to use the cane; right now I have to have it. Any ideas on how I can make this situation better?
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post #2 of 15
12/17/09 at 10:23am
When we get a "used cat," we almost always get some baggage with it. And the baggage is often inexplicable. Our first cat would run from me if I had a hat on, and he was terrified of brooms. You can guess the conclusion we came to.
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post #3 of 15
12/17/09 at 10:51am
Everyone assumes a cat, a small animal that is easily preyed upon by larger predators, is abused because they're afraid of something...

I've had cats since they were kittens that were afraid of different things. I have one now that's deathly afraid of plastic bags or anything that makes a similar loud noise - does that mean I abused him with a plastic bag?

Almost all cats are afraid of a vacuum cleaner. My kittens are afraid of the broom. They were also afraid of me the first time they saw me with my glasses on.

Cats see things differently than we do. They don't have the understanding that something is harmless to them.


Chances are Alley just hates the noise. Most cats don't like sudden loud noises - their response is often to run and hide because they don't understand. It's worse in cats that just don't have a lot of self confidence.
Maybe she'll eventually get over it from constantly being around it. Some things take time.
You could try spraying it down with some feliway and leaving it around for her to sniff at. Maybe once she sees it up close when it's not moving or making noise part of her brain can reconcile and get passed her fear. If you can get her to scent mark it herself that could help, too.

I have one cat that leaves the room when I vacuum but only goes into the other room to watch me. Why is he not as afraid? Maybe because he has to inspect everything in the house and mark it - he's also sits on the thing and "rides" it when I'm putting it back in the closet.
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post #4 of 15
12/17/09 at 11:03am
I don't know what to tell you as far as helping her get over it. It does sound like she was struck with something, but who knows. I got my RB cat Libbi at 7 weeks old and nothing ever hurt her, yet she was terrified of such things and hid a lot too.

I know when I broke my leg earlier this year my boys Spooky and Mulder were initially very freaked out by my wheelchair and walker, though they are some of the most laid back personalities you'll meet. After a few weeks they got used to it and were fine. Maybe she just needs time? Or is there any way to put a rubber tip on the cane so maybe it doesn't make as much noise?
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post #5 of 15
12/17/09 at 11:30am
I've had Rocky since he was three months old (he's 11) and he is scared of my red raincoat; it's plastic and makes a crinkle noise and he runs away and hides whenever he sees it. OTOH, he's not afraid of my vacuum cleaner when it's on and will attack it. Go figure!
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post #6 of 15
12/17/09 at 11:50am
It sounds like she is a feralish cat not necessarily abused.

Not all cats who are afraid of things were abused by them.
I agree with strange_wings post.
My cats dont like the broom or vacuum and have been with me since birth I have never abused them.
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post #7 of 15
12/17/09 at 12:21pm
@ the kitty scared of a raincoat. That's pretty random, but understandable.


My Siri is an odd mix of scared/nervous and bold. She'll walk through a room to inspect strangers, but won't hang around. She'll also run from a lot of things but is strangely unaffected by the sound of me banging around pots and pans (the others bolt for the bedroom). I don't think she was ever abused, but I suspect she was an only cat that may have lived with only one or two people who didn't have a lot of people visiting. She was also a stray for several months to a year. I think that alone does a bit of psychological damage to more sensitive kitties - especially those who may have been indoor only before.
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post #8 of 15
12/17/09 at 12:52pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by strange_wings View Post
Almost all cats are afraid of a vacuum cleaner. My kittens are afraid of the broom. They were also afraid of me the first time they saw me with my glasses on.

Cats see things differently than we do. They don't have the understanding that something is harmless to them.
The elevator we have is a unique vacuum elevator. Yes, it sounds like a giant vacuum cleaner. Persi adapted immediately to the sound and even rides in the elevator with me now. I can see that I am probably guilty of comparisons. Persi is a very aggressive and friendly cat (male) and sticks by my side all day long. When I take the elevator he races me to the next floor while Alley (female) goes to her room. I do love Alley and that is why I posted this but anybody that has seen my posts in the past know that I favor my first and only longhaired pedigreed male cat. And I am guilty of expecting Alley to be the same.

Having said that, Alley will still get up on my chest at night and want me to sleep on my back. I cannot sleep on my back so I eventually push her away between DW and I. But right this moment I am on the first floor and Persi is right here on my desk while Alley remains on the third floor. She never leaves the third floor now that we have installed a second Buddah dome and keep food and water on the third floor. The problem is that the third floor only has bedrooms so the only time I see Alley is when I go to bed at night while I see Persi all day long.

Alley has an interesting background. My son-in-law who was killed in the current war, rescued her from the Seattle shelter. When he was sent away to defend our freedom and die for the cause (which he did), he shipped the cat to our daughter who lives in L.A. She became in dispute with the landlord over having the cat in the apartment, so asked us to adopt her, so she was shipped from L.A. to Dallas. She is a beautiful calico cat and I have had 9 prior rescued female cats in my life. So I guess maybe I have fallen in love with Persi because he is a male cat, a pedigreed champion parentage cat, and long flowing hair that now is so long and thick it touches the floor, and am very judgemental about other cats' individual characters. I am just like everybody else on this site, I want my cats to love me and I never want to scare or hurt them in any way.
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post #9 of 15
12/17/09 at 1:19pm
I knew how you got Alley, but didn't see the part or thread where you mentioned your SIL.


And yeah, it's pretty easy to expect things from our pets and even each other that just isn't going to happen sometimes. Alley sounds like a sweet sensitive kitty. You're not harming her at all, but sometimes a scaredy cat is just a scaredy cat. Time and love help. So does routine.

Look at some of the threads here about moving, things that reduce stress, introducing cats, etc. While these areas aren't so much an issue for you, there's great tips to be found. Things like feliway and rescue remedy have helped many.

Frankly, three floors sounds like a lot. Alley may not need much more then her floor as long as she's happy where she is.

Persi's lucky. You had him as a kitten and showered him with attention. Just like with children, that has a lot of effect on how they are when they grow up.
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post #10 of 15
12/17/09 at 4:56pm
Quite frankly, it is better she is afraid of your 'stick'. I. too. walk with a cane and Pokey decided the cane is a toy, very dangerous for me and the cat. I am afraid of putting the cane down on poor Pokey and doing some damage.

I haven't one afraid of it but they do respect the fact that I am not so steady on my pins now, and mostly stay away from it. I have also taught the cats to mostly follow pointing the cane so they move (horses too) - works great for herding them out from underfoot when I am feeding horses (poor abused babies get fed after the horses). Nope, no abuse teaching them either - would point with the cane, and then physically move the cat gently to where I was pointing, saying Go there. Once the ringleader learned the rest followed. Also, a tap on the ground with the cane is the signal to get out of a vehicle - they are mostly not interested in learning this as they like vehicles.
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post #11 of 15
12/18/09 at 5:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by sk_pacer View Post
Quite frankly, it is better she is afraid of your 'stick'. I. too. walk with a cane and Pokey decided the cane is a toy, very dangerous for me and the cat. I am afraid of putting the cane down on poor Pokey and doing some damage.

I haven't one afraid of it but they do respect the fact that I am not so steady on my pins now, and mostly stay away from it. I have also taught the cats to mostly follow pointing the cane so they move (horses too) - works great for herding them out from underfoot when I am feeding horses (poor abused babies get fed after the horses). Nope, no abuse teaching them either - would point with the cane, and then physically move the cat gently to where I was pointing, saying Go there. Once the ringleader learned the rest followed. Also, a tap on the ground with the cane is the signal to get out of a vehicle - they are mostly not interested in learning this as they like vehicles.
I have to agree!!! My husband has ALS and needs a cane to get around. Our cats are *so* laid back that when he approaches with his cane they move or walk around him trying to rub their scent on him and his cane!!! I am *terrified* that they will eventually trip him up and he will take a bad fall and get seriously hurt! So once again, I have to agree with sk_pacer, your kitten being afraid of your cane may not be such a bad thing.
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post #12 of 15
12/18/09 at 6:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by strange_wings View Post
Everyone assumes a cat, a small animal that is easily preyed upon by larger predators, is abused because they're afraid of something...

*snip*

Almost all cats are afraid of a vacuum cleaner. My kittens are afraid of the broom. They were also afraid of me the first time they saw me with my glasses on.
My cats are very odd because the vacuum doesn't scare them. It can come within 1 foot of them and then they'll just hurry on off (not a panicked run) .. It's really surprising because vacuums are loud --mine's no exception. ...Makes me wonder if I can try vacuuming them in the future if done properly

Penny is afraid of "Da Bird" (cat toy), while Daisy isn't.

Brooms make them both scamper away (again, not in a frightened way).

I won't say whether the OP is correct or not, but speaking of my cats only, I say mine have lots of idiosyncrasies
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post #13 of 15
12/18/09 at 10:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by c1atsite View Post
speaking of my cats only, I say mine have lots of idiosyncrasies
All cats do. It's part of being a cat.

I hadn't thought of how good it is to actually have a cat afraid of a cane. I have difficulties walking some days and know the cats being underfoot is very dangerous when I don't have very good control of where and how you're moving. I've stepped on paws and been repeatedly tripped up (on those days when falling is the last thing I need to be doing).

I hope Alley will keep her distance but gets over being scared silly of it.
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post #14 of 15
12/18/09 at 10:44am
I have a very skittish cat myself. About a year ago my mother started using a cane to walk, and now uses crutches. It took EG a few months to get used to the cane sound on the wood. Give her some time. If you can place the cane a spot where she would rub on it when you aren't using it. This will help as well.
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post #15 of 15
12/18/09 at 11:01am
I wonder if you could carry her while you use the cane? Not sure exactly of the nature of your needing the cane...or use a baby front carrier to get her around the house? Poor thing. It's so sad that she doesn't come downstairs!
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