why is my cat behaving this way?

Question

my cat is a almost two years old. up until very recently she has been really well behaved. she sleeps in the house during the day and then hunts for mice at night. she's always been a bit easily frightened but in the last week she's been acting strangely: staying away for the whole day and being very unsociable. this morning, she wouldn't go outside when offered, and then proceeded to climb on to the windowsill to do the toilet. i'm thinking it must be behavioural, given that we had given her the option only minutes before to go outside to do her 'business'... the only thing i can think of is that she and our dog despise each other, sometimes shes too scared to go into rooms where the dog is. but i don't know why that would start to affect her so much now, after two years.

any thoughts?

Answer 1

my cats have been doing the same recently because there is a new cat in the area. He is a recently neutered tom and very aggressive. As soon as he sees my cats he chases them and has injured 2 of them. They are too scared to go out so do their toilet anywhere in the house they can. Maybe you have a new cat arrived in the vicinity that is scaring yours?

Answer 2

Talk with your vet, especially if the cat was well versed in the using of the litterbox. She could be trying to tell you something if that's the case. Another thing that I could think of is maybe she and the dog got into a fight and you were unaware of the situation. I would talk to the veterinarian though, because not only can the vet check your cat out for medical problems, he/she is also a very good resource in terms of feline behavior and might be able to give you some good insight on what might be going through your cat's mind. My wife did that with our older cat, and it worked very well. Good luck with this situation, I hope everything works out well for her!! =]

Answer 3

Your cat sounds like a tom cat I once had. He was very friendly with humans, almost like a lap dog. But he was also very territorial and earned a reputation as a 'yob'. Even having him 'done' didn't stop him fighting. He would patrol his patch and fight any animals in the area, including the neighbour's Great Dane dog... and he won. Some cats are just like that, make sure you have vet insurance to cover any injuries.

Answer 4

Anytime a pet acts different from the usual, you should consult with your vet. Both cats and dogs act different when ill and that may be your only clue. Cats are especially good with acting unusual when they are ill. Often times, staying away from you and hiding. Call your vet for an appointment and full exam to see if there is something wrong. Hopefully she isn't ill with FeLV or FIV.

Answer 5

Sounds to me like maybe something scared or hurt her one time while she was out and is now fearful to face it.

One option is to hold her and carry her outside, and help her get confidence again that outside is/can be safe. You probably will have to baby and be outside with her for a while till she is confident again.

Just an idea without knowing more behavior patterns.

Answer 6

I AM A VET!! She could be telling you she has a problem with herself. I have cases like this all of the time when patients come in. Usually they are hiding something. So I suggest taking your cat to the vet.

Answer 7

Something outside may have her scared!!! So she might not go out for a while.OR she could be pregnant from outside! Well I hope this helped!!!! Have a great week!!!!

Answer 8

Someone else may let it into their house and give it different food. Diet is very important to our friendly moggies.

Answer 9

something might be scaring her outside. any new neighborhood dogs, cats, etc?

Answer 10

shes pregnant with a sort of disabled cat then!
or maybe she just likes the company or she is getting picked on by another cat