Cat hiding - still scared?

ju24

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Our eight month old kitten has been hiding under the sofa a lot since yesterday. She has been in the wars as she broke her leg at the start of December and has only been out of the bandage and off one room rest for the last week. Anyway, yesterday she got caught in the door as my husband was shutting it. He didn't close it fully and isn't sure which bit of her was caught. She didn't make a noise, but ran off under the sofa. She did come out after a bit: she isn't limping, has no swellings and is eating, drinking and using the litter tray normally.

Today she has come out for shortish periods and has played and had cuddles but she still seems scared and keeps retreating back under the sofa. She isn't keen on loud noises and freaked she saw my husband earlier.

I phoned the emergency vet yesterday who said just keep an eye on her. I'm not sure if I should take her to the vet tomrrow or if that will make it worse if she is just scared as it would unsettle her more. Is it possible for a cat to stay frightened for a few days after a shock or would she only be doing this if she was in pain? She is normally on the nervous side.

Thanks fo any advice.
 

molly92

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It's definitely possible that she's just scared of getting hurt again. Cats make strong associations with pain or frightening situations in order to protect themselves, and she will have to be convinced that whatever happened to her leg before is not likely to happen again before she'll resume her normal routine. How long that takes depends on the cat. Having your husband give her treats whenever he's around can help her regain her trust in him more quickly by creating positive associations.

That she's eating and drinking normally are very good signs! Still keep an eye out for any signs of pain, decreased energy, or lack of appetite just in case something did happen, but her behavior makes perfect sense even if she's completely physically fine.
 
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ju24

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Thank you.  She was much better this morning, but I took her to the vet for a check in any case as she had been making slightly odd 'bubbly' sounds for around 20 minutes last night.  Vet gave her a really good check up and couldn't find anything, but thinks that she might have had some minor lung bruising which caused a mild contusion (hence the odd sounds).  She said this will sort itself out.  She has suggested painkillers for a couple of days. 

Anyway, kitten has been normal for rest of day - playing, eating, chasing around and so on. 

She's using up her nine lives!
 
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