I`ve had Phoebe for about 2 years. My husband and I adopted her from the local shelter as a kitten. She is normally the sweetest, most affectionate cat. Call her name and she comes immediately. She is an indoor cat who gets out occasionally (kids!). She got out one night and was gone at least 36 hours. She is not the same. She hides, is jumpy, and fearful of even inanimate objects. She doesn`t come when you call her anymore and isn`t as affectionate, yet she`s not in the least aggressive. Totally a different cat. Any ideas?
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She`s not the same!
- Thread starter lisa h
- Start Date
I'm guessing she's spayed, but if not, she might be pregnant.
It sounds like she had a bad fright, but you should take her to the vet to rule out illness.
When did this start?
It sounds like she had a bad fright, but you should take her to the vet to rule out illness.
When did this start?
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
I'm sorry, I wasn't clear. I understood that it happened on her return, I was wondering how long ago that was.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #6
It sounds like she had a very bad fright. I wouldn't like to speculate, anything could have happened to her.
You might try getting her some Feliway (available at your vets and most pet shops in the US I believe).
I would also suggest the following: if she would tolerate it well, I would close her up in a quiet room (maybe a guest bedroom) with food, water, several cozy snoozy spots (one on the window, a box, a shady spot, some towels, etc), her toys and a litter tray (or two, if she perfers to use one for pee and a second for poo).
Make sure she is undisturbed by the kids. Go in and read to her outloud everyday, and spend plenty of time with her in here, pet her, groom her, anything gentle that she likes. If she sleeps with you, move her to your bedroom at night and close her in with you. If that's too hard for her, let her sleep in her den too. If you can, take a nap with her on the weekends, or if you are a SAHM, for an hour or so everyday. The point is to reduce her stress to zero while continuing to build up a bond with her while she's recovering from her trauma.
You may want to put a lock on the door to reduce tempation on well-meaning kids.
When she starts to seem more like her usual self around you and hubby, you can try playing with her a bit and see how she tolerates that. Gradually re-introduce her to other rooms in the house and the children one by one.
Needless to say, you probably have to have a chat with your children to explain why this happened and what you're going to do to help her and how they can help now (leave her alone til she's ready) and in the future (make sure she can't get out).
You might try getting her some Feliway (available at your vets and most pet shops in the US I believe).
I would also suggest the following: if she would tolerate it well, I would close her up in a quiet room (maybe a guest bedroom) with food, water, several cozy snoozy spots (one on the window, a box, a shady spot, some towels, etc), her toys and a litter tray (or two, if she perfers to use one for pee and a second for poo).
Make sure she is undisturbed by the kids. Go in and read to her outloud everyday, and spend plenty of time with her in here, pet her, groom her, anything gentle that she likes. If she sleeps with you, move her to your bedroom at night and close her in with you. If that's too hard for her, let her sleep in her den too. If you can, take a nap with her on the weekends, or if you are a SAHM, for an hour or so everyday. The point is to reduce her stress to zero while continuing to build up a bond with her while she's recovering from her trauma.
You may want to put a lock on the door to reduce tempation on well-meaning kids.
When she starts to seem more like her usual self around you and hubby, you can try playing with her a bit and see how she tolerates that. Gradually re-introduce her to other rooms in the house and the children one by one.
Needless to say, you probably have to have a chat with your children to explain why this happened and what you're going to do to help her and how they can help now (leave her alone til she's ready) and in the future (make sure she can't get out).
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #8
You probably should check her or take her to the vet to be checked for wounds and abcesses, too. If she had a bad fight, that would scare her, and if she was injured, and has an abcess, that could be making her act that way too,(pain and fever, usually) especially since it's been going on for a couple of weeks. When my cats get an abcess, they can be antisocial, too. She will need antibiotics at the very least, and possibly have it drained, so a vet trip is very important if you find one.
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Get her to the vet immediately have a full work-up done on her, and let the vet know she was outside and for how long
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