Cat is randomly growling and hissing

fhicat · Mar 4, 2014

Help! I can't figure out what is happening. My cat all of a sudden is growling, hissing and making low-pitched whiny noises - the kind you might hear when you first bring them home in a carrier. It happened out of the blue. I can't say what triggered it. No loud sounds, no nothing. We weren't playing. I was just working at my desk, he was in the living room with me, when he started doing it. I sat on the floor, but he's clearly stressed by something. I didn't try to approach him. He was trying to hide though - under my desk, under chairs, behind boxes. He's now in my bedroom where he likes to hide, but I try talking to him and he growls at me.

What is stressing him out? Any ideas?

di and bob · Mar 4, 2014

Had you been anywhere and had strange smells on you? If not, maybe he's hearing something outside that you can't hear. Watch him carefully, could he be hurt, and doesn't want you near? I hate to say it but he MAY be really hurting. There is only a limited number of things that could be wrong, I hope for his sake you find out the reason quickly. Good luck, and keep us posted!

fhicat · Mar 4, 2014

It really was out of the blue. I've been working all morning at my desk.

He seems calmer now. My first thought that he was hurting somewhere, but why out of the blue? I put a video camera near my bed so I can watch him, and I don't see anything odd with his gait or movement. However, aside from grooming himself and periodically changing positions, he hasn't really moved much.

I've been back to the bedroom every few minutes to check on him. Last trip he seems back to normal - he let me pet him and purred. I inspected his front paws and squeezed it in a few places - doesn't seem like there was pain in any of those areas. I'll continue to check on him and check his movements.

What could he possibly be hurting from, all of a sudden? Stray nail on the ground? No bleeding that I can see. Not that I would have any nails on my floor.

lamiatron · Mar 4, 2014

My cat started to randomly hiss at me and other things around her once. after a couple days of this going on, without being able to figure out what her issue was, i took her to the vet, and it turned out that she had worms.

Could it be something internal that's bothering your cat? when was the last time you took this kitty to the vet?

Keep an eye on him and see if this behavior repeats, or if its a one time thing. as @Di and Bob mentioned, he could have picked something up outside like a scent or a smell that he is not liking.

Although the way you are describing your cat hiding, that leads me to believe he might be in some sort of pain...

My cat did the same thing. She would be normal, doing her own cat thing, then I would walk past her or my other cat would go near her she started to hiss and then she would hide. it was weird. moments later she was back to normal, moments later she was back to hissing.

If this behavior persists, I would take kitty to the vet, especially if you haven't taken him in a while.

sixradcats · Mar 4, 2014

I have to ask, is there any chance he got into something (medicine, "herbs" of ANY type), someone had in the house? When I worked at an ER vet sometimes we'd see pets come in that suddenly started acting as if they were seeing ghosts or freaking out/being defensive or aggressive and becoming sedate/not moving a lot at the same time all because someone in their home had...herbs...that they somehow ingested and it caused them to react that way. For pets some "herbs" can cause something akin to a bad acid trip. Not accusing at all! It's just something that most people don't think of when their pet starts acting this way. Hope it's not a physical injury, poor boy!

fhicat · Mar 4, 2014

SixRadCats said:
I have to ask, is there any chance he got into something (medicine, "herbs" of ANY type), someone had in the house? When I worked at an ER vet sometimes we'd see pets come in that suddenly started acting as if they were seeing ghosts or freaking out/being defensive or aggressive and becoming sedate/not moving a lot at the same time all because someone in their home had...herbs...that they somehow ingested and it caused them to react that way. For pets some "herbs" can cause something akin to a bad acid trip. Not accusing at all! It's just something that most people don't think of when their pet starts acting this way. Hope it's not a physical injury, poor boy!

Good one. I don't know. I mean, all my herbs are in sealed containers. Now that I think about it... I was having a sub sandwich when that happened. It had onions in it. I know onions are extremely toxic, and I was sure I didn't feed him any, but... now I'm worried as all hell. The vet is closing in 30 minutes, and I have a school exam to go to. And he's not the most cooperative cat when it comes to vet visits.

There is an emergency 24/7 hospital recommended by my vet. I will keep an eye on his litter box usage tonight. Now I feel I should skip my exam just to look after him. >.<

UPDATE: He's sleeping and seems to be back to his normal, skittish, loving self. Groomed my hand when I tried to pet him. However! I found a piece of poop under my bed. It has almost the same characteristics as his normal poop; light brown (his diet was chicken and turkey for the last few days), odorless, about the same size as the ones I find in his box. It was a bit harder than usual; usually with enough pressure I can break the poop, but I couldn't with this one. Constipation? Too much calcium? I didn't give him more than his usual.

Argh. I'm going to spend the whole day sick with worry.

lamiatron · Mar 4, 2014

Fhi09 said:
Good one. I don't know. I mean, all my herbs are in sealed containers. Now that I think about it... I was having a sub sandwich when that happened. It had onions in it. I know onions are extremely toxic, and I was sure I didn't feed him any, but... now I'm worried as all hell. The vet is closing in 30 minutes, and I have a school exam to go to. And he's not the most cooperative cat when it comes to vet visits.

There is an emergency 24/7 hospital recommended by my vet. I will keep an eye on his litter box usage tonight. Now I feel I should skip my exam just to look after him. >.<

UPDATE: He's sleeping and seems to be back to his normal, skittish, loving self. Groomed my hand when I tried to pet him. However! I found a piece of poop under my bed. It has almost the same characteristics as his normal poop; light brown (his diet was chicken and turkey for the last few days), odorless, about the same size as the ones I find in his box. It was a bit harder than usual; usually with enough pressure I can break the poop, but I couldn't with this one. Constipation? Too much calcium? I didn't give him more than his usual.

Argh. I'm going to spend the whole day sick with worry.

since he's back to normal...or seems to be for the most part, just focus on your exam! try to ace it

school is important too.

monitor his behavior for a few days and see if he has another episode.

could be that he ate a piece of onion if it accidentally fell off of your sandwich, it gave him a tummy ache and he didn't like the taste that's why he freaked out??

fhicat · Mar 4, 2014

Lamiatron said:
could be that he ate a piece of onion if it accidentally fell off of your sandwich, it gave him a tummy ache and he didn't like the taste that's why he freaked out??

That could be it, but if that was it, I need to take him to emergency. Onions are extremely toxic. Although, I would think his nose would tell him that onion = bad. Also I would have noticed if I dropped something and he scooped it up in eagerness.

He just came back out to check his dish bowl and climb the window perch to look at squirrels.. It really looks like he has calmed down, but I still can't stop worrying for the next 5 hours unless I know he is using the box again normally.

sixradcats · Mar 4, 2014

I'm glad he's acting more normally!

If you haven't already, I'd go clean his litter-box and only replace a very small amount of litter (like less than a scoop), that way it'll be super easy for you to tell if he's used it either to urinate or defecate.

Good luck on your exam, if you miss it, I hope they have a make-up date for "Family Emergencies"!

lamiatron · Mar 4, 2014

If it's a tiny piece of onion, it will just give him diarreah.

I remember Charlie ate a whole grape, and that's toxic for cats. I didn't even think he would eat it, as I figured he would smell it and find it unappetizing, but nope. His curiosity got the best of him. He ate it, had diarreah for a day, and moved on with his life.

I think the same would happen for your little guy.

I hope you did well on your exam !!
Keep an eye on your little guy but don't stress. He'll pick up on that and be stressed also.

Hope his behavior has improved for the better. If not taking him to his regular vet would be best.

fhicat · Mar 4, 2014

Came home and, well, he seems completely normal. Even let me tidy up his claw trimming. Finished his food as usual. Found pee in his litterbox, so I'm hoping he still uses it. No poop, but that isn't uncommon, since he poops only every other day, and he already pooped yesterday (plus today under my bed).

Hopefully I'll find poop and pee balls tomorrow morning. That'll let me rule out constipation and blocked urinary issues.

fhicat · May 8, 2014

*sigh* He's doing it again, and he wouldn't let me get near enough to put him in the carrier. He just had an accident outside in the living room too, so I am bringing him to see the vet again. Thankfully she was willing to double book me (they're completely filled today) since I've been there a few times.

whisperer · May 8, 2014

He needs to see a vet. He could have inside health problems and he's growling from the pain.

Good luck, and I hope he's well!

lamiatron · May 8, 2014

Fhi09 said:
*sigh* He's doing it again, and he wouldn't let me get near enough to put him in the carrier. He just had an accident outside in the living room too, so I am bringing him to see the vet again. Thankfully she was willing to double book me (they're completely filled today) since I've been there a few times.

hope the vet is able to figure out whats wrong with your guy

My jet went through the same thing..hissing for no reason. took her to the vet and she ended up having worms...so it could be internal and i'm hope you're able to get an answer and help.

GemsGem · May 8, 2014

Hope he's ok sending some positive vibes :vibes:

drritz · Aug 8, 2015

FhiCat said:
*sigh* He's doing it again, and he wouldn't let me get near enough to put him in the carrier. He just had an accident outside in the living room too, so I am bringing him to see the vet again. Thankfully she was willing to double book me (they're completely filled today) since I've been there a few times.

I know this post is very old, but what was the outcome? Last night when I got home from work, we realized my cat had an accident under our bed and behind our living room TV. We've only had him for two months, but he's NEVER had an accident. Then today he randomly started hissing and growling at is completely unprovoked. When he was rescued by the shelter from different high kill shelter, he had worms and received treatment. When we brought him home, he still had worms so we have him a second treatment. Could it be he needs another? What was wrong with your kitty?

fhicat · Aug 9, 2015

DrRitz said:
I know this post is very old, but what was the outcome? What was wrong with your kitty?

It was a constipation issue. He has since done it another time or two since this thread, and each time he would growl and make low-pitched meows. Looking back now, I would have immediately brought him to the vet the first time he was doing that. Any deviation from normal behavior should always be checked by a vet first. In the case of your cat, that's what I would do. I brought stool samples when I took him to the vet and it helped my vet determine the cause.

gupp · Jan 30, 2016

Cat can be growling/hissing because of internal worms, and also Kidney problems.....unfortunately, most often vet doesn't see worm eggs because they do not pass all the time, and if they do not deworm = $$$$$. Go to Walmart and use their de-wormer, and then pick up the tapeworm pills from PetSmart; they all work. Follow directly exactly, and if cat still has problems - take to vet.

kat4552 · Mar 21, 2016

The EXACT same thing is happening to my cat, I think maybe poison and have given her charcoal. What ended up with your baby?

Kathy

kat4552 · Mar 21, 2016

What suddenly caused the constipation? Did you change food?

Cat is randomly growling and hissing

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