EXTREMELY strange,dont know what to think.

I have a cat, 6 year old male. hes a bit weird....well he got weird a couple of years ago, agrresive...not towards me....towards anyone who comes to my house, usually i have to lock him in a different room, he attacks viciously and the wounds are just ceazy...require stiches..hes abig muscly cat with huge fangs. But thats not the point..he started acting very very weird on friday.and been doing it ever since...listen to this, he is afraid to walk on the floor....yes....he does not walk on the floor..he jumps from surface to surface, like from couch to table to sofa...to toilet seat to counter...if he absolutely must step on the floor he runs as fast as he cant and jumps on something. I try to push him down to the floor but he wont go and he gets so scared, puts his ears back and just sits. If i pick him up and he knows im gonna put him on the floor he clings to me and doesnt wanna go. i really have no clue whats goin on...its kinda scaring me and making me relaly upset cuz i dont know how to help him. if anyone has any idea whats goin on, please help. Thanx

The only time I've ever had that happen was when I moved into a rental and later that Spring flea eggs hatched, completely infesting the place.

Aside from that, anytime there is ever a change in behavior, it's always best to schedule a trip to the vet to rule out any medical reason for the change.

Wow, that is crazy. He needs a kitty psychologist or something. Maybe a little paranoid from too much kitty nip? My cats do that not on the floor thing, jumping from chair to table to windowsill. But they aren't afraid of the floor. Is his food and water on the floor? Are there any other pets in the house?

Good luck!

Originally Posted by Arlyn

The only time I've ever had that happen was when I moved into a rental and later that Spring flea eggs hatched, completely infesting the place.

Aside from that, anytime there is ever a change in behavior, it's always best to schedule a trip to the vet to rule out any medical reason for the change.

Click to expand...

yeh i think i have to give it a try if he doesnt change if a few days..prob is that where i live vets r very expensive..just for the check up i'd give away about a 100 $(i live in Dubai)

Originally Posted by Hdizzy

Wow, that is crazy. He needs a kitty psychologist or something. Maybe a little paranoid from too much kitty nip?

My cats do that not on the floor thing, jumping from chair to table to windowsill. But they aren't afraid of the floor. Is his food and water on the floor? Are there any other pets in the house?

Good luck!

Click to expand...

nope no other pets in the house....and yes his food is on the floor....its just too weird..i pick him up and just throw him on the floor...and he automatically zhrages towards a higer surface..its like hes repulsive to the floor or something...and he just sits and really wags his tail..he doesnt look happy..he looks like hes scared of somethin....and this happned on friday, which was the day i left the country for 2 days, but he wasnt alone thought, my mum was here.

When my mate and I moved into this house, my Jade was like that about the floor. Also, she wouldn't leave the kitchen for the longest time and previously she had always slept with me.

My mates mom had lived in this house and had cats and a dog in it, so I thought there may be fleas, My other consideration was that the carpets he had bought had been stored in the Pole Barn and raccoons had been out there so she may have picked up on that smell even though we didn't smell it.

If you can get some feliway diffusers, that may help him. If he is afraid of the floor, I wouldn't insist he get down there. He'll need some time and probably some help from you to get more comfortable.

Originally Posted by tru

When my mate and I moved into this house, my Jade was like that about the floor. Also, she wouldn't leave the kitchen for the longest time and previously she had always slept with me.

My mates mom had lived in this house and had cats and a dog in it, so I thought there may be fleas, My other consideration was that the carpets he had bought had been stored in the Pole Barn and raccoons had been out there so she may have picked up on that smell even though we didn't smell it.

If you can get some feliway diffusers, that may help him. If he is afraid of the floor, I wouldn't insist he get down there. He'll need some time and probably some help from you to get more comfortable.

Click to expand...

i have no idea where to get this feliway stuff...never seen it where i live..but i will give it a try. the thing is that hes lived in this house for 6 years..with the same carpet...nothing changed at all...but yet he acts this way

It sounds like he's playing "The ground is made of lava"

Okay, no, it's not a joke I guess. This is nasty, but a friend of mine had been living in a place for about a year and one day he saw a bug in the carpets, pulled apart the weave, and there were like thousands of these weird wormy things in the carpet. It was late at night and he had to work in the morning, but he couldn't even go to bed until he had ripped all the carpet out and thrown it out the window.

Also, have you cleaned your floors or carpet with anything recently? Is it carpet, or tile, or rugs, or what surface?

It sounds like a neurological issue. Has he had any injuries lately? It's possible for cats to injure themselves nurerologically and not show any visible cuts or scrapes that a human would notice...maybe he fell off of a tall piece of furniture- or had a seizure (very common in felines) that caused substantial nuerological damage?? If he fell, his brain and the surrounding blood vessles could have been jarred (the same thing occures in young babies when they are shaken- it causes internal hemmoraging...and in less intense cases- mental problems- Shaken Baby Syndrome) - it could cause substantial nuerological damage-including the recent weird behaviors. I would have him evaluated by a vet ASAP. There are veterinarians who specialize in neurological problems- they're not as common, but if you look hard, you can usually find one- if you don't have one in your area- don't worry- all vets are trained to identify nuerological problems as well as behaviorial issues. Also, don't try and put him in the floor for now until he can be examined by a vet- you don't want to cause him any more stress- he could injure you or himself trying to avoid the floor. One more thing- has anything in his household changed lately? New baby, someone moving out, new animals, change in food, change in flooring- maybe switching from carpet to tile??? Any of those things could be triggering his current problems. I also thought it'd be worth mentioning that there is a book, "Cats For Dummies"- that has an excellent section on feline behaviorial issues. I always use that book as a reference- it's excellent. Keep us posted! Good luck with your kitty, and i hope a vet can give you a definitive answer .

It does sound like a neurological or psychological thing. Either that or a carpet cleaner you are using. Is he declawed? Most likely not if your vets are expensive...but if he is he could have developed an aversion to the texture. Is it this way on kitchen tile or carpet, or only carpet? If on everything then it sounds like is behavioral. He might need some medication to ease his anxiety.

if you have carpet he could have got a static shock of it and is now too scared to go on the floor as he thinks it might hurt him again.

Please define "throw him on the floor." You don't do that in a mean way do you?

Get him to the vet. Put it on a credit card or something. If you can't afford it try a shelter.

Best of luck again to ya!

OK, here's my 2¢ - and that's all this is worth ... but ....

I tend to feel that animals are able to sense things we're not even aware of, like, he knows something! and maybe you need to figure out what he might be sensing .... I tend to agree with others about "bugs" - something new has arrived and he knows it.... or, how about the house where you live ... is the ground stable under your house ... maybe your floor is vibrating, or he can hear something under the floor = do you have ?? snakes that could be under the floor, or a rodent of some sort. Are you in an earthquake zone?

If he were mine I'd do anything I could to accomodate him - and move his food and water up - yes, and even the litter pan .... until he was at ease again.... and I'd pay attention to him because he might be trying to warn me about something.

Cats know stuff, we're just limited in our communication with them....yep, I know, now I'm weird .... OK, it's no longer 2¢, it's 1¢ worth of brain matter. Sorry I couldn't help with a solution.
Gloria

i think you should visit a vet, the cat may put u in trouble if someone reported the wounds to the police! they have files for agreesive dogs and the owners sometimes pay money and go to court for what their dogs have done.

I dont know if this happens with cats too or not, but anyway, take care!


*~*~*~*~*~
http://www.tutycat.4t.com
http://www.myspace.com/tutycat

Originally Posted by Ruslan

he looks like hes scared of somethin....and this happned on friday, which was the day i left the country for 2 days, but he wasnt alone thought, my mum was here.

Click to expand...

Have you asked your mother if anything happened with him while you were gone those few days? Did she vacuum the carpets while you were gone and maybe scare him with the sweeper? I would find out from her if anything out of the ordinary happened or if there was something she might have done (unintentionally) that scared him.
If you live in an apartment building and are above the first floor, there's also the possibility that the problem stems from your downstairs neighbors making noise or even some sort of weakness in the construction of the building that is just now making itself known. Noisy pipes, rotting timber, pests, could be anything.
If none of the above apply to your situation, a visit to the vet is called for. It could be a neurological problem, like another poster said.

Everyone thank you for your replies. There were questions like is he declawed and are there bugs etc, changes in the surrounding...Well he is declawed..i mean i cut his nails from time to time. there are no bugs...no insects...nothing...i live in a 60 story building in Dubai....hes never been out in his life...yes there have been changes in the house but that was a month agho..just some furniture...but he didnt react that way..this happned just a couple of days ago....i also thought maybe he can sense something...but what....no earthquakes or anythin like that over here. i think hes just crazy...hes just a little old and crazy....hes been really violent lately..towards strangers....everyone is tellin me th eonly solution is to put him to sleep...**** no. Thanx everyone...i will see a vet asap. hope its all just nothing.

Ruslan- "declawed" means you have had his claws and first bone in each toe amputated surgically so that the cat no longer has claws. If there is nail there to cut, your cat is not declawed.

A 60-story building would be very sensitive to any small earthquakes, even tiny ones, like those possibly caused by construction or oil rigs. Have they been drilling or building anywhere near you?

It sounds more and more like a neurological issue that hopefully a vet can help you with. No, he probably does not need to be put down, unless the vet tells you he has a serious issue like a brain tumor. I hope everything goes well at the vet!

Since you in an apartment building, I am wondering if someone new may have moved in below you? Or possibly the tenants below you have a new pet, could be painting, anything like that your cat can detect that you can't.
When my Jade was afraid of the carpeted rooms, I'm sure she was picking up the raccoon odor and afraid she was going to be attacked by what she was smelling. Over time she relaxed and became comfortable.

If you can't find the feliway there you may be able to purchase it online and have it shipped to you. Many people have had wonderful results with feliway calming their cats.

oh ****....they do that? amputate the claws? what for? thats a bit sick....he needs his nails..i guess if u do it when the cat is still small then its fine, i cant do that now...hes not gonna like it. Like i said before, there r no earthquakes here...no drilling..this is Dubai...nice calm sunny place...

MAYBE somebody moved or got a new pet..i wouldnt know...i mean...how would he smell that...there is like 5 meters of concrete between every floor...building is huge....anyway that doesnt matter...these r all just guesses....im gonna talk to a vet..see if he knows anything about this feliway...if he recomends it i'll get it. Once again, thank you all for your replies and help.

I'm glad you're going to take him to the vet. It sounds like he's developed two problems, spaced years apart. He first suddenly started acting aggressive, and after a two day separation from you with your mom watching him he won't touch the floor.

I agree with those who say cats are sensitive to all kinds of things. Drilling, minor earthquakes... I even know of a man who predicts earthquakes by reading the lost/found pets sections of newspapers around the world. Whenever there is a high number of missing pets, he uses that data to predict quakes, with a high percentage of success!

The construction of your home you described makes me think your house is also very quiet, normally (you can't hear your neighbors) and conducts vibration very well. He could be picking up something.

I really don't want to think it's anything else, a physical problem, but being that this isn't the first time he's started acting strange, I would ask for a neuro exam for sure!

In the meantime, do allow him to eat on the table and even find a place off the floor for his litter box, just to help keep his stress to a minimum. Maybe you could place some planks around, to help him get from place to place? Temporarily, of course. I hope to hear back from you on him!!

By the way, nobody here is suggesting declawing--it's not a good thing at all! The question about is he declawed meant maybe if he was declawed he was upset about not having his claws and therefore he is behaving badly.