Why Is My Cat So Skittish?

[TrippyKitty]

My boyfriends cat just moved in with us, she’s a very friendly and playful kitty. However, she is super skittish. I figured she would be nervous changing homes, but she’s always been like that. She jumps at almost everything. Earlier today, she destroyed our blinds because she kept jumping frantically up and down the window sill to the floor, reaching the tops of the blinds and just went crazy. It was honestly worrying to watch, I was wondering if anyone else has a skittish cat and what I could do to help her out?

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Is that the skittish kitty in your profile pic?

I've never had a nervous/skittish cat, but TCS has some articles that might be helpful.

10 Must-know Tips For Happy Living With A Shy Cat
16 Top Cat Experts Share Tips For Dealing With Timid Cats

And How To Help A New Cat Adjust To Your Home even though she's not actually new, but your home is new to her.

Plus an older thread:
Scaredy Cat

 

[ArtNJ]

Destroying the blinds or curtains is usually playing unfortunately. Not to say it couldn't have been fear in your case.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

My soul-kitty was always skittish. She was born at a relative's house so we knew her entire history. She was just that way.

What helped her the most was giving her safe options to go hide in. We never had a cat tree back then; but I did have a wire shelf I made a little hiding spot on for her. She could see out the window but wasn't visible to the rest of my bedroom. She also had a hiding spot under my desk. My bedroom was her "safe" room. We tried to respect her boundaries. She was ok with people as long as they weren't loud or overly animated/excited.