Cat being extremely skittish after roommate incident

[rebochan]

So, backstory. I recently moved in with a roommate in another part of the country. He loves the cats to death and up until yesterday, they both loved him. Lorelei in particular is usually outgoing and people hungry to the extreme.

Unfortunately, yesterday when he was coming into the apartment, he accidentally stepped on her when she was trying to run up to him and he couldn't see her thanks to the heavy boards he was carrying. Now she's spending most of her time hiding except when the food comes out.

I've checked her over for injuries - she's walking and eating fine. And of course my roomie feels awful. But I'm starting to get worried if there's anything else I can do for her. Part of me wants to let her hide until she's comfortable again, but another part of me keeps pulling her up from under the table to give her a cuddle and calm her down. The roomie is trying to be extra-friendly to her, but she's definitely still scared. I'm starting to worry my little baby girl is scarred for life

 

[ducman69]

What part did he step on? A cat weighs around 10lbs, and a human male can be a good 200lbs or more. To put that in perspective, twenty times his weight would be a 4000 pound pickup truck rolling over him.

There could be internal injuries, as cats tend to hide when they are in pain, so IMO I'd bring her in for a vet visit first to ensure its just psychological.

 

[herekittykitty8]

I agree with the above.
Especially if your roomate was carrying heavy boards - it just increases the weight & risk to Lorelei.

Does he know where he stepped on her since he wasn't able to see her when walking in?

Poor guy - cant imagine how terrible he must feel.

 

[c1atsite]

I agree with what's been said. Furthermore I think maybe she's trying to hide physical pain? I hope not but if so a vet visit would be a good idea