My cat wont come out from under the bed, and we're getting desperate!

[arthorn]

Thank you for going to such great lengths for your girl. I'm sure that this is not easy for either of you.

One thing, common with cats, is kidney failure. Blood tests don't show that until the kidney function is less than 25 - 30%. Something is wrong and I hope you can figure out what it is. Cats are so good at hiding things when they are really sick, but the hiding and the lack of eating are huge red flags to me, as is peeing out of the box (if that's not normal).

Good luck to you.

catmom5
 

She is eating now, we weren't bringing food to her directly before, as we thought she was sneaking out at night to eat and use the box. The peeing out of the box is an absolute new thing. I'll call the vet Monday at some point and see how he feels about the situation.

Thanks.

 

[arthorn]

I just moved her down to the basement, and had to lift the mattress and box spring to do it. While I had the box spring up on it's side but still on the bed frame, she would stay underneath the side of the box spring. 



Now that I have her in the basement, I'm scared we're never going to be able to get her out again. It was really one of the most sad things I've ever seen.

 

[ligwa]

I feel so bad for your kitty. I keep logging on to check and see how things are going. Something is wrong with your girl. I know you had her checked out but there is something wrong. I hope she gets back to the vet soon. A basement is no place for a cat to have to stay. Especially a sick cat.

 

[arthorn]

Hello again all,

I believe I had a major breakthrough in this whole situation last night. For a long time Gatogato (the kitty who won't come out) has had hair knots on her back. They got to the point that I think they were hurting her too much to move freely. She picked my bed (the one she was hiding under until I moved her a few days ago) to lay on, so whenever she was in the bed I'd grab a pair of scissors and cut as much of them as I could while petting her to keep her comfortable. I had done a pretty good job with them, but there was still some left. The cats were all due for a trip to the vet, so we figured it might be easier for the vet to remove them, as he would have the proper tools and whatnot. Apparently the vet wasn't nearly as gentle as I was in removing the knots. From the description I got, he was actually quite rough while doing it. The picture above got me thinking, I think she's scared of having anyone have access to her back, because of the way the vet removed the knots from her back. The entire time the bed was on it's side, all she wanted to do was lay under it and keep her back covered. 

Since moving her down to the basement, she's been hiding in the spot she has always hid in down there. I think the most important thing is that she's using the boxes. I walk down there, and see the litter she's dragged back on her feet on the towel she's laying on. I guess the main point of this post is that I think there really might not be anything medically wrong with her. I'm really hoping I'm right here, as it seems like it would be possible to deal with this situation ourselves. 

What would you guys suggest for a traumatized cat? I really do believe she fears someone hurting her back the way the vet did. Before we took her to the vet the second time she had started to make progress and would come all the way out and let us pet her. After we took her to the vet because of her hiding she regressed to the point that she won't come out at all. I have feliway plugged in upstairs still, but will look for a place to plug it in near her. Would it be a terrible idea to grab her if we get a chance and just hold her and pet her against her will?

Thanks a bunch.

 

[catmom5]

I think I would start to hang out with her (rather than grabbing her) and just sit and talk to her (or maybe sing to her or read a book outloud) so she can relax and know that you're not going to be grabbing her and doing something that might hurt her. It does sound as if she needs to regain trust and to feel safe. I'd let her move at her own pace right now - and forcing her to do something that will scare her might set things back. Sometimes it takes a long, long time.

 

[ligwa]

Poor girl.

I agree. Hang out with her a bit. Just sit there. You don't have to do anything but talk to her. Then pet her is she will allow it. I use "Dr. Bach's" rescue remedy. My guy will have no part of allowing me to put it in his mouth so I put about a half of a dropper full on my fingers and rub it on to the top of his head between his ears. You would have to do this twice a day every day but I swear it works good for anxiety. The other thing that works very well and very fast is the "Sentury Calming Collar". You can get either one of these things at the pet store. Perhaps the collar would be better to begin with, as it works pretty quick to calm them. At least you will know fairly quickly whether the issue is anxiety related.

I wouldn't just grab your kitty. It may do more damage than good. But do spend some time with her to reassure her she is safe with you. Offer her some kitty treats. Every cat loves those.

I hope this works out. I hate to think of her down in a dark basement alone like that. Oh, and do put the Feliway down there if possible. All of these things could help, as long as the problem isn't medical.

Good luck! And please let us know how it goes.

Lori

 

[mr muffins]

I feel bad for you. It is hard thing seeing a pet that you love being miserable. One thing that my parents did with their cat that inexplicably went into hiding in the house, was make safe rooms in the living room (like boxes and so forth)  but restrict the cat to go anywhere else but the living room. 

My own cats went to stay with my girlfriend's sister when we were on vacation. As expected, one of them was overwhelmed and sat in a corner in the attic for a full day. When she called me about it, i suggested she took her out of the attic and close the door to the attic, but put make sure there was some safe place in the livingroom. Everything was back to normal the same evening. 

What i am saying is that sometimes maybe you should not indulge a cat in their fear. I do not think you should force them to come out of hiding, but rather, relocate their hiding place to something that is not tucked away so far as a basement, while still giving them a sense of security. 

I am by no means an expert, I am just sharing my experiences I have had with cats over the years. But each cat is different and the cause of your kitties behavior can be different then the situations I described. 

 

[arthorn]

Hi everyone,

Just an update on our situation. Unfortunately there really is no update to it, she's still living in the basement and won't come out to be pet (but lets us pet her under her hiding place). Last night I went as far as to put a mat on the floor and sleep in the basement with her, hoping she'd hop out to lay on my stomach or something, but still nothing. I'm looking on amazon right now, and am probably going to order some Dr. Bachs to see if that can help us at all. 

We're also trying to figure out what we can build for her to hide under that she can stand up completely, so that she's able to move around in a full upright position, other than when she uses the littler box.

Thanks as always. 

 

[whollycat]

 I'm looking on amazon right now, and am probably going to order some Dr. Bachs to see if that can help us at all. 
We're also trying to figure out what we can build for her to hide under that she can stand up completely, so that she's able to move around in a full upright position, other than when she uses the littler box.

Bach's products can help, but I am thinking she also needs a change in her environment in the basement. Can you provide a tall, sturdy, stable kitty tree for her to climb up onto as opposed to something for her to hide under? One made with carpet and sisal with perches that have low sides on them (just don't want her to fall off). Most kitties feel safer when they have a place that is high up for them to climb up on to view their world from above--especially when they're feeling threatened for whatever reason. IMO, giving her something to hide under is not going to help the situation and would be a waste of your time and money, as everything/everyone is much larger than she is so she feels helpless and frightened. My heart goes out to y'all, and I'm sending lots of hugs.

You could place it near where she is hiding.

I would also not let the other kitties have any access to her at all. Once she gets more confident then is the time to work on introductions to the rest of the family of kitties (by swapping scents, introducing only one kitty at a time, etc.), but I wouldn't rush it at this point. This can take quite some time, but would be so worth it in the long run. We can help when you get to this stage, so please don't hesitate to ask.

 

[arthorn]

Bach's products can help, but I am thinking she also needs a change in her environment in the basement. Can you provide a tall, sturdy, stable kitty tree for her to climb up onto as opposed to something for her to hide under? One made with carpet and sisal with perches that have low sides on them (just don't want her to fall off). Most kitties feel safer when they have a place that is high up for them to climb up on to view their world from above--especially when they're feeling threatened for whatever reason. IMO, giving her something to hide under is not going to help the situation and would be a waste of your time and money, as everything/everyone is much larger than she is so she feels helpless and frightened. My heart goes out to y'all, and I'm sending lots of hugs.

You could place it near where she is hiding.

I would also not let the other kitties have any access to her at all. Once she gets more confident then is the time to work on introductions to the rest of the family of kitties (by swapping scents, introducing only one kitty at a time, etc.), but I wouldn't rush it at this point. This can take quite some time, but would be so worth it in the long run. We can help when you get to this stage, so please don't hesitate to ask.

I'm not sure if it makes much of a difference, but 3 of the 4 other cats are her children. But yes, I'll speak to my father about building her something on top of the shelf, as opposed to her hiding below it. That way if she wants to jump up in it and hide she at least will get some exercise while doing it.

Thanks!

 

[frenchgoose]

Hi Arthorn,

We've also had this problem with our cat hiding and wanting to stay under the bed. We tried everything, putting out her favorite treats, trying to pet her gently while under the bed, but nothing worked. Didn't want to scare her either. So now, to get her out, we use a little remote controlled toy car, totally harmless and aim for her little behind. She gets out instantly and we never have problems getting her out anymore...works like a charm!! Also, you could block the opening all around the bed with long strips of foam as it will fill the entire open area and prevent her from entering in the first place. Your cat will probably end up finding another hiding place, but it will not be as hard to get him/her out as from under the bed.

 

[cq181]

Wow,the same exact thing is happening to my cat.  She has always been lovable and even though she is 15 she is healthy and even plays still but she will not come out from under the bed.  I have no clue what to do,today i lured her out with some cheese lol she loves cheese but she only came half way i picked her up brought her to the couch and she jumped down ran full speed to the kitchen turned around and ran again to the bedroom and went under the bed,have you figured out what it is?  I am desperate