Saba got spooked and won't come down~~

Saba has settled in with us very well. She greets me every single night when I get home from work, and on the weekends too, she always runs up to me and I cuddle her and kiss her nose. She has never missed a day in 3 months now. Tonight I came home and she did not come! I looked everywhere and she was on the upstairs landing. She is terribly on-guard tonight and will not come down. She is looking out the front door and then runs into the bedroom, then out again, only to stand at the stairs and look scared and vigilant. Saba is not a scaredy-cat, by any means. She is comfortable with dogs, not skittish, and comes to greet everyone that comes into our home. She now refused dinner when I gently brought her downstairs in my arms, she just ran back up. Her eyes are glinting. Her tail is flicking. She will not pur if I bend and kiss her.

I usually can take clues from Sasha's behavior, as he's so quiet, if he's off-guard then I know something is wrong, but he is as calm as can be sleeping on the porch wicker chairs, humming to himself. What is wrong with little Saba?? What happened here today??? I wish I was an animal psychic - I wish I knew! She has never been like this.

How frustrating Elizabeth not to know what it's all about. Do you think Saba may have seen another animal outside (that perhaps Sasha didn't) and that has given her a fright or stirred her up?

I hope it's just that, I hope so! But we have 22 dogs on our street and half of them are always out. Maybe one pawed at the front door, smelling Sandy, as Sandy does go outside and play all the time and she sits on the front steps while Eric is in the garage messing around. I also thought of somebody coming and banging on the door very hard while she was taking her afternoon nap, and it totally scared her, as our actual doorbell is hard to see. I hope she is back to normal by morning! I have been home 3 hrs now and no change at all. Saba does sleep with me every single night, too, so it's a good test to see what happens tonight.

I had a situation with my jessie one time out of nowhere. I have no idea what the heck spooked her but she was just acting crazy! She was running from me, growling at me when I came towards her and hiding. It was pretty scary. She was about 16 at the time this happened. Anyway, it took about a day and a half and she was back to normal. Could have been just about anything that gave her a little scare.
I hope that all is back to normal in the morning. Keep us posted.

Could be a combination of things that has her freaked out. First that you and Eric were gone, and that's the first time you've been gone for so long. Depending on her history (which if I remember right, no one really knows...), she could have abandonment issues which were set off by you being gone so long. Then if something happened while she was already on edge, such as banging on the door or something spooking her while she was napping, well it could have just been too much for her little mind to handle.

Originally Posted by ciera23

I had a situation with my jessie one time out of nowhere. I have no idea what the heck spooked her but she was just acting crazy! She was running from me, growling at me when I came towards her and hiding. It was pretty scary. She was about 16 at the time this happened. Anyway, it took about a day and a half and she was back to normal. Could have been just about anything that gave her a little scare.
I hope that all is back to normal in the morning. Keep us posted.

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Ciera thank you so verymuch for sharing this with me tonight. I can't tell you how it has calmed me inside.
-E

Maybe she and Sasha had a little spat and Sasha put her in her place. Mine get along very well but every now and then one will put the other in their place and that one will act strange for a day or 2. Then all will be fine and the other will have a turn at putting the other one in their place. This will happen about 4 times a year. I thin kthey just get sick of being around each other all the time - just like humans do!

That happened with Stormy when she was younger. She kept racing and running from room to room like some kind of monster was after her It was scary but she was fine the next day.

Originally Posted by valanhb

Could be a combination of things that has her freaked out. First that you and Eric were gone, and that's the first time you've been gone for so long. Depending on her history (which if I remember right, no one really knows...), she could have abandonment issues which were set off by you being gone so long. Then if something happened while she was already on edge, such as banging on the door or something spooking her while she was napping, well it could have just been too much for her little mind to handle.

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Thank you so much Heidi~~ But we got home at 3 a.m. Sunday morning, so we've been home for 2 entire days now -?? She slept with me when we came home and like clockwork, 7 pm last night and her little face is poking up on the front door glass panel as soon as my car is in the drive. But it's exactly where she keeps looking right now. Who knows! Maybe it is some form of super-delayed PTSD -? I do know that in her little mind, nobody has ever come back for her if you think about it ......and I did.

Oh I hope Saba comes down soon!

Here she is, I just snapped this. Her eyes are so glinty - they reflected all the light. She loves to have her photo taken too, but she wouldn't come towards me. I hung her favorite craggy red string over the bannister so she could be distracted and play - but nothing!

Originally Posted by sashacat421

Ciera thank you so verymuch for sharing this with me tonight. I can't tell you how it has calmed me inside.
-E

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I am so glad. I know how scary it is when our furbabies don't act like themselves! I was soooo worried that something was wrong with Jessie. I had myself panicked!! If only we could read their minds!!! I know how you are feeling though and I think everything will be fine in a few days. Hang in there and keep us updated ok?? I am here if you need support!

You know, I just thought about it, one time Sophia saw a gecko (the pinkish lizards) in our house and she went nuts. Even after it was caught and put outside she continued to dart all over the house with crazy eyes. She wouldn't let any of us come near her.


Possible a stange bug/ insect was in your home and she found it.

Aw she looks so scared!

I just took her little food dishes up there with water and her favorite chicken and she gobbled it down...which tells me that this may have happened early in the day today, as she isn't one to lick her dish, but she did. I'll keep her things upstairs in my sewing room overnight, and some litter, there's plenty of room upstairs and quiet spaces so hopefully this will calm her. She could stay up here for days if she really wanted to. We'll see where she is tomorrow morning, thank you so much everyone, I just needed some soothing words!

Maybe play some calming music, I have heard put chamomile tea in their water. Maybe get some of the feliway stuff i keep hearing about. I would also be in the room with her alone, lay down on the floor and let her come to you, basically reaffirming her trust to you (not that she lost it, just maybe she needs to be reminded). if she feels that you are her protector, and trusts you completly, then maybe, just maybe with you she will feel brave enough to take on the world again, and when you feel she is ready you can leave the room together. I guess if it is really bad you could try to do the same with each "new" room you enter. I think something has caused her to feel that she has lost her comfort zone, and that she needs to get it back. I am hoping that it wont have to come to what I talked about above, and that she will be back to normal soon, but if not that is the method I would try to use. I hope that i could help, keep us posted, and good vibes sent to you both.

I hope she's back to normal when you wake up - make sure you let us know

Some good news this morning - looks like she's about 50% cured from whatever it was. Saba slept by my head all night as usual - and then this morning trotted downstairs w/me on the usual regime! But she was nervous, didn't eat and went back upstairs. But at least she came down....Sasha was calm, quiet, I sensed no communication from him as to anything amiss. He touched noses w/Saba and greeted her and she nudged his body with hers, all good signs~~~~~

Thank you for the suggestions Roxy! I had no idea about the tea--. I fall asleep to classical and Saba likes piano music. We do have feliway up & downstairs so this was enough of a spook to "override" that, so it seems.

I left a note for Eric to move her food/water upstairs again if she has not eaten by the time he leaves. I should know in 3 hrs if that happens. But she was purring this morning!

Glad she is 50% back to normal. It sounds as though she did get a spook or something! Poor thing!

Could something have fallen over that would have scared her-must be downstairs as she feels safe upstairs.