Distressed cat

For the past couple of months I have noticed a change in my cats behavior. She used to be very loving and attached, especially to my boyfriend. She would follow him everywhere and she slept in between us every night. She was just a normal cat. A couple of months ago after she went into heat for the first time, she started acting like she was afraid of my boyfriend. Recently, it has gotten worse. She walks around the house crying and I have seen her slinking around like she is trying to hide. She has become very attached to me and doesn't seem to calm down until she can hide behind me or is sitting on my lap. I have also noticed that she has become very vocal. Every time she comes near me she starts meowing and chirping, and when she is hiding it sounds like she is crying and very afraid. I don't know what has happened. The only significant changes I can think of would be her getting spayed and the arrival of our other cat, but they get along as far as I can tell. He is a few months younger than her and plays kind of rough sometimes, but they eat and sleep together and she grooms him often. Does anyone have any idea of what could possibly be going on? Im getting really worried about her

How did you introduce the cats? I definitely think that the new cat might be contributing to this behavior.  You may want to have a look at this article and try reintroducing them to see if that could help:  The cat may have viewed this as a much bigger change than you realized.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/introducing-cats-to-cats

Good luck sorting this out!! Hopefully others will come by soon with more advice.

That's a tough one. It may well be linked to the changing hormones - going into heat and being spayed will have given her a real roller coaster of fluctuating hormone levels.

I don't think the new cat is part of the problem here - if they eat and sleep together and groom each other then that suggests that they've bonded well and are happy sharing the territory.

I would look at trying de-stressing options such as Feliway, Spirit Essences and Composure. Also, be sure to give her plenty of interactive playtime (ideally with wand type toys), as this is a fantastic way to build confidence and reduce stress.

Try to have your boyfriend be the one to feed her (and play with her if she'll let him) so that she can learn that he's a source of good things, and therefore someone she can trust.

I would also talk to your vet about the situation. Given that hormonal changes seem the most likely trigger for this behaviour change, it's possible that she will need medication to help her rebalance. It's just such a sudden change that it makes me wonder if something is going on with her.

Good luck with getting to the bottom of all this, and with finding a way to get her back to the loving, carefree cat she was before.
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