My cat is scared?

So I have just signed up to this site to read through some behaviours and health problems cats might face, as I have my first kitty (Lucius) and want to make sure I'm looking after him well.

He seems absolutely fine, very cuddly at some points and very playful at other times (as you would expect from a 2 month old kitten) but I have noticed two things that have made me a little concerned and wanted some advice/help from fellow cat owners. 

Firstly every now and then he will go into a strange mood where he seems to be scared of everything, it's very sudden and his spine with arch and his tail with point straight up and his fur will fluff up and go spiky. When this happens he bolts around the house and becomes very scratchy and bitey. Not sure if this is a common thing or not. 

Second, I thought he was sneezing but now I'm worried it was coughing - I watched him to make sure he wasn't sick or coughing up a furball (which he shouldn't because I do try and groom him often) but after a little while he stopped and it sounded like his purring was different. He ate some of his food, wanted cuddles and then wanted to play - when we were heading to bed he started the first issue again.

We have no other animals and only two people so I'm not sure what he suddenly becomes very aggressive of? 

Any ideas?

Thanks! 

have you have him checked by a vet? also what is happening when he go in the strange mood, is there ton of movement? one of my cats will get scared when i carrying something big or even a pole. how much are you playing with him?

mwallace056 said:

 
have you have him checked by a vet? also what is happening when he go in the strange mood, is there ton of movement? one of my cats will get scared when i carrying something big or even a pole. how much are you playing with him?

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He has a vet appointment soon, but I think it will be the first time he's been checked as his previous owners didn't take him . 

He always run around very fast! Darting down the hallways and jumping on things. 

I try to play with him as much as possible but I'm not sure how much is enough.

5 times a day for 10 or more minutes a day or until he get tired 

Are you sure he is actually scared when he is running around the house?  Every cat I've had has done what I call "random kitty freak outs" where they just lose their minds suddenly.  They bolt around the house, jump on furniture, go crashing onto windowsills, knock things off counters, etc.  It only lasts for a few minutes and I've always just put it down to pent up energy.  I never try to pet my cats when they do this since I'm pretty sure I'll get scratched up. 

As for the cough, definitely ask the vet.  There's really no way to know what is going on otherwise.

wamydia said:

 
Are you sure he is actually scared when he is running around the house?  Every cat I've had has done what I call "random kitty freak outs" where they just lose their minds suddenly.  They bolt around the house, jump on furniture, go crashing onto windowsills, knock things off counters, etc.  It only lasts for a few minutes and I've always just put it down to pent up energy.  I never try to pet my cats when they do this since I'm pretty sure I'll get scratched up. 

As for the cough, definitely ask the vet.  There's really no way to know what is going on otherwise.

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that why i asked how much he plays with him. pretty much every cat or kitten will act crazy when they not play with enough. that the energy building up. the cough could be upper respiratory infection but no ways to know until check by a vet 

wamydia said:

 
Are you sure he is actually scared when he is running around the house?  Every cat I've had has done what I call "random kitty freak outs" where they just lose their minds suddenly.  They bolt around the house, jump on furniture, go crashing onto windowsills, knock things off counters, etc.  It only lasts for a few minutes and I've always just put it down to pent up energy.  I never try to pet my cats when they do this since I'm pretty sure I'll get scratched up. 

As for the cough, definitely ask the vet.  There's really no way to know what is going on otherwise.

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Sometimes my cats will do this but it's more of a playful, hyper behavior and definitely not a scared behavior.  She'll run around the house, play with her toys, and even puff up and "hunt" my legs.  

Thanks for all your replies, I'm think he's just very playful and tries to spend all of his pent up energy in one burst rather than being scared. I've tried to pet him in this state and have the scratches to prove it. I only wondered if he was scared because he does the typical 'halloween' cat pose in which he arches his back and all his fur stands on end. 

I will be taking Lucius to the vets and will mention the sneezing/coughing. 

Thanks for all your help.